March 14, 2019. Madison, Mississippi. Lyft Drivers.

Today I was Mrs. Independent. Eleanor invited the ladies and the girls to have a French Coffee and eclair party. The time was to be 3:00 but Christina had an air conditioner repairman at her house at 2:15 so I took Lyft to get there. Because Christina did not need to pick me up, she was only 10 minutes late so I was pleased. In addition, the driver and I enjoyed a lively conversation. He competes in long distance paddle board races. Who knew those races existed. He had been training on the reservoir yesterday and paddled right past our dock. He and his wife have two children. After five miscarriages, they had decided to adopt but the 6th pregnancy was the charm. Much to their delight, their daughter was born healthy and perfect. Then their son was born 18 months later. I do not know how we goto talking children but we both had fun. After dinner at Christina's home with the girls, I insisted on taking a Lyft home. The driver came to pick me up in 5 minutes. We were talking about the Jackson roads which are terrible and the driver mentioned that he had just returned from Chicago and had forgotten about the bad streets. I asked him how long he had been in Chicago and he said three months. Of course, I asked him what he was doing there and he told me he was a professional photographer. He returned to Jackson because he has been hired by a corporation to take pictures of Mississippi. For three months he he will travel the highways and byways of Mississippi. After the three months, he will give all the pictures to the client and they will then do what ever they select. He loves his job. He drives for Lyft to keep him in gas and spending money. He is a self taught photographer but he urged Samantha to pursue it at college. "You can make a living as a photographer," said he. His dream is to travel the world and take pictures and be able to see enough of the pictures to keep him afloat. He uses the internet and social media to put out his work. He keeps busy and is excited with his job. When I arrived home, the driver accompanied me to the front door and waited for me to go in. I might have felt independent, but I did need a helper to get me up the walk. In fact, he had to insert the key into the door. But my day of independence was a success. I did not need anyone to ask for a ride. That is a good thing. I feel like a 2 year old. I can do it myself.