My View From the Driver Seat 2:: Rideshare Adventures with Mike

I never thought in my life that I would be a taxi or rideshare driver, let alone a writer … but here I am. From 2022 to 2024, I drove rideshare in Greater Cincinnati and across Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana. Ever since I was a child growing up on the westside of Detroit and then in the suburbs, I dreamed of being a firefighter. I was one of those kids who was able to live his dream, by becoming a firefighter and earning my way all the way up to Battalion Chief, Assistant Chief and Chief of Department.This series of books you are about to read was basically born from a way to cope, and a way to survive. It became my life raft to stay afloat financially between working shifts at the firehouse, going through divorce, providing for my son and trying to be the best father possible.This book is just part of my journey, nothing more and nothing less. We all go through struggles in life and if I can use my experiences to help people, then I am doing my part to create a better world. I believe we are all here for a purpose, a higher calling. We are all here on a journey and when I started journalling about my rides, I never thought I would have the impact on people that I have had, both in posting my stories (your stories) and in talking with my riders.I truly believe that by being able to talk and more importantly to listen to others, it has helped me in the healing process of what I went through for years. It has helped me deal with the struggles of over thirty years working in emergency services and things that happened in my personal life. One of the things I have learned being a rideshare driver is that everyone has “stuff”going on in their lives and for the few minutes they are with me, I have made a difference. I have become an avenue for people to vent, seek advice and counsel, to laugh and yes, even cry. Whilethis is my journey, it’s not unlike so many others I have come across.I am not a professional (counselor, psychologist, therapist, whatever), and I have told people that time and time again, but … I am a professional listener. I am a Catholic and I try to be a good example of being a Christian. My number one purpose in life is to be a good father, to lead my son in the Catholic faith and love Jesus.I have become the coach, counselor, or confessor to so many people and I know for a fact that I have made a difference in many people’s lives. In the crazy world that we live in where we all have static and baggage in life, we all need the ability to talk to someone, the ability to laugh, to cry, to listen. Everyone deserves to be hugged, and the desire to be loved. Sometimes that simple act of kindness is all someone needs just to make it through the day.I know that God has put me here to help people and doing that as a firefighter and emergency medical technician for over thirty-five years, I have made an impact. I feel my calling is now turning into my “mobile ministry”. There is too much hatred, ugliness and distrust in this World ... and if I can make it just a little bit better; one day, one ride, one book, one person at a time, before you know it, we will be creating a cultural change.As you read this, you will see that it was not professionally edited, nor does it flow as a normal book. (Sorry for any grammatical errors) That’s the LAST thing I wanted this book to become - a perfect book. In our lives, none of us is perfect. None of us is free from sin. Just like this book, there are imperfections, like you, like me. There is no true chronological order. I am just sharing experiences and telling not only my story but those of my customers, ordinary people just like you and me. I want YOU to ride with me. I want YOU to feel as if you’re in the driver’s seat communicating with these passengers. Read more