Gratitude List

[Part 1]

It's no secret that it pays to be grateful for things, big or small, that make us smile and, in some cases, get us through the day with better disposition. 

Recently, here are some of the things I am thankful for:

• Taxi/cab drivers who don't choose passengers, especially during heavy rains. See, I live in Tondo, Manila. More often than not, these drivers would deny me service because they are afraid of the street and neighborhood conditions in Tondo. Honestly, I believe that anywhere is as dangerous or as safe as your mind conceive it to be.

• Writers who are grateful/not intimidated by fans. I attended Virgin Labfest 12, the festival of untried, untested, and unstaged plays in CCP where you can basically bump into some of the who's who in Philippine theater and literary scene. So I bumped into these writers and told them how I admire their work: Nicolas Pichay, Eric Cabahug, Dingdong Novenario, and Herlyn Gail Alegre. They warmly and humbly accepted my compliments and offered their gratitude in return.

• Being able to help an elderly cross the street/open the door. The best thing is when they smile at you, say "thank you," and even wish you God's blessings. Awww...

• Strangers offering their humble food and starting a conversation. Once I was having dinner at a convenience store and the man beside me offered his food (which is as plain as mine). He then complimented my watch and asked where I got it from. That experience reminded me that everyone has something to share regardless if they look interesting or not. 

• Unexpected team dinner. To remind everyone that we still have a life outside work and things inside the office are not personal.

Here's hoping to more frequent and longer gratitude lists soon!

GRABbed

I had an interesting conversation with my GrabCar driver last April 7 on my way home from NAIA.

First, he shared that he is an on-call Grab driver of Rocco Nacino. He often calls him for a city tour, a maximum of eight hours traveling within the metro for either business or leisure.

In Rocco's case, it's always going to various locations to pick-up costumes and to attend tapings. He praised Rocco as "mabait and sobrang accommodating."

When I asked if Rocco and Lovi are still together, he said he's not sure. Well, I assume Rocco won't let Lovi ride in just a GrabCar, right? It makes me wonder though if Rocco has a car and if yes, who uses it then?

Second, aside from being a driver, he is also a Fire Volunteer and a licensed help saver. "Marami nang nawalan ng buhay sa kamay ko," he said, referring to casualties in emergency situations.

He blamed the heavy traffic in the metro as the real cause behind some of these deaths. "Ang biyahe na 5 minutes lang to the hospital, nagiging 10-15 minutes dahil sa traffic. E ang golden time for survival is 10 minutes lang."

Next, he admitted that he was a former drunkard. "Gym instructor pa ako nun pero ang lakas ko uminom." Good thing is that he stopped drinking heavily recently.

Fourth, he said that he's health conscious. Ironically, he sleeps for a short amount of time each day because he juggles his regular driving job and volunteer work seven days a week.

Fifth, he shared that Grab has an incentive program for drivers wherein if they finished a total of five (5) rides within 5PM to 10PM regardless of distance, the fare for each booking will be converted to a minimum of PHP300 (making their incentive bigger).

This, however, is hard to achieve since it is considered rush hour and they are often left optionless but to spend 1-1.5 hours for just one ride.

***

Despite my lack of rest from a 3-day, 3-city business tour, this driver still managed to grab my attention because of his simple yet colorful life.

I don't get much of similar stories these days because sadly, what everyone talks are politics and traffic.