As salaamu alaikum,

I was in an Uber ride the other day, and I was picked up by this elderly man whose name was Dennis. I would say that he was in his mid-seventies, probably closer to 80 years of age or even older. They say that you can tell a lot about a person by what kind of music they listen to, and as I got in the car, this man had a satellite radio station on that said “Music from the ‘50’s & ‘60’s” or something like that. He had a brand new 2024 Honda CR-V Hybrid SUV, and just like most of these new cars, they come equipped with touchscreens. The ones on this model are big and bright, almost like a television. I gauge Uber drivers on how they engage me; if they talk, I will engage them. Dennis noticed that I had changed my destination, so he used that to segue way into a conversation. He asked me where was I headed and what I did for a living. I obliged him with a response, and then I asked him about a group called The Flamingos and if he was familiar with them, and he responded yes.

I think with old age, details become increasingly important, because elderly people seem to tell you all the little things, and then there’s a gift with it, because they are able to express things like a summary, and in the midst of it, there will be a jewel of wisdom dropped. It was dark when Dennis picked me up, and during our dialogue I noticed that his driving was relaxed, and it was because he had trouble seeing. He even expressed that he had trouble seeing, and I was thinking to myself that maybe he should consider driving at a more suitable time; telling me while I’m a passenger is not the most soothing news!

Dennis went on to tell me about how he purchased the new car, which was by getting rid of his old one. This old car must have been very dear to him, one that he had for a very long time, and one that-just like his music selection-represented how things used to be, and if it were up to him, things would never have changed. Dennis was a very simple man; one that worked his entire life and was totally vested in the U.S. system which was designed for people like him. Dennis was so fond of his old car (which I never found out what kind of car it was by the way, or at least I don’t remember him mentioning it) that he kept track of who bought it and where. Then he went on to tell me that he was doing Uber to pay for the new car, and how he would sometimes send in two payments in advance, to pay the car off faster. This is where he dropped a jewel when he said, “Because if you don’t send it, you’ll spend it.” I took it as a jewel because it kind of summed up Dennis’ life: he worked his whole life, he cherished things that were dear to him, he followed the rules, he wasn’t a risk-taker, and he moved to his own beat and would not be easily swayed, and at the same time he was stubborn, stuck in his ways, coming from a time where “those were the good ‘ol days”, days that sometimes prevent people from adjusting in the time that they’re in, and you find older folks sometimes either having trouble adjusting to current times (especially with technology & social media), or they just don’t want to be bothered.

Dennis gave me one more insight into the type of person I observed him to be (and I could be totally wrong in this entire story 😄): As my ride was coming to an end and I was about to get out of the Uber, I instructed Dennis that the GPS is off from the spot where I needed to get off. He hesitantly listened to the redirection, and then I showed him an easy way to get back on the main road. He thanked me, and we parted ways, and as I headed into the building, I happened to look back, only to see Dennis turn around…to go back the way he came. Ahh…the good ‘ol days, when things (and people) were simple!