6 Comments

It's interesting to imagine how to be intentional about natural connections. Whenever I start a session with a client I ask how they are. You get the inevitable 'goods,' 'eh,' and 'okays.' The follow up question is always I hear you, describe good, eh, okay to me. It's an interest of mine that people find ways to expand their vocabulary to describe how they are experiencing the world at any given moment. We're often taken in by the first response rather than being curious about what something means when it is said or experienced.

What begins as a trite cultural question about how are you today transforms when we're curious. And, the best part is that I don't all the letters behind my name to ask it. For me, it simply transforms a habitual question into a ritual question, something that's done automatically, but with intention. I like the low barrier of entry and natural connection aspect of this integrative approach. I also wonder if people who experience a caring curiosity on the part of their driver might be more apt to reuse that service over another, impacting the bottom line of said service.

I think we tend to return to the places that we feel care for us, favorite restaurants, stores, communities. Becoming a favorite space takes effort and a long view over short-term thinking. With all the dollars spent on marketing, I wonder if some of it, allocated toward community building and connection would be better spent on these initiatives. I wonder how many drivers etc. could be trained for the cost of a Super Bowl commercial.

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Thanks for this! I have my taxi driver's license and have often thought about finding brief authentic connections along the way. Once, as a passenger, I took to asking drivers, "If you could tell the world one thing, what would it be?" (a la Jewel song Hands) and the answers were unexpected to say the least. The most memorable was "Don't eat cheesecake from a restaurant! You wouldn't believe the things they put in there!" :) As with all things, our mileage may vary. I'm going to start telling clients about the woebot app I use. It's a free chatbot available 24/7 with multiple choice answers, so you don't even have to think about your response if you're in the throes of blah depression.

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As a woman who already finds many drivers far too intrusive I’m concerned that this dynamic may have unintended consequences. The last thing I want is for my ride share driver to be engaging with me on a personal level in any regard.

So while I understand the intent here, I’d vote no.

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