My very pleasant, seasoned taxi driver talked all the way as he drove me to my hotel in the city. It was pouring rain, and I was disappointed because I’d been looking forward to a long walk, my favorite way to get to know a city. But his stories kept me engaged, and I was smiling at some of his experiences.
When we reached the hotel, he couldn’t drop me off at the door because a tour bus was ahead of us in the tight circular drive. Passengers and all their bags were offloading slowly. We waited. And waited. I was willing to get out and get wet, but my driver refused. It started raining harder. So, he got creative. He carefully backed out and drove around the block. This time he pulled into the exit marked ‘Do Not Enter.’ That put us under cover facing the bus, which was still unloading. His creative thinking made me happy. We weren’t blocking traffic and I was promptly dropped off. I appreciated his willingness to go beyond my expectations to keep me comfy and dry.
Those small acts of going out of our way might seem like nothing to us when we do them, but they may create a memorable experience for someone else. That taxi driver’s creativity and his commitment to quality left me with a question I often ask myself, and one I want to share with you…
“What is one extra step I could take that would make an unexpected difference?”
An added bonus my driver didn’t even consider occurred as we drove around the block. I saw an Asian restaurant that looked appealing. After checking in, I borrowed an umbrella from the front desk and headed there for a delightful dinner. Win, win.
