My Uber ride was in a Monster Truck, much like this one

After a night of gentle imbibing with family and friends, it was time to head home. I responsibly sent for an Uber, and my 15-minute adventure began.

To me, the most fun part about taking a taxi or an Uber is engaging the driver in a conversation. What are the drivers’ stories? I love listening to snippets of their lives in the small amounts of time that we share in the car. I’ve met drivers from all over the world, including Ethiopia and Nepal. We can have a non-committal conversation, sharing many or just a few details about ourselves, fact or fiction.

Family was in town that night, so we were doing a mini pub crawl around the city. I tried to keep it under control, drinking only light beer, but I did try one chocolate stout. Oh, and a few Jell-O shots too. Oops.

The end of the night arrived rather quickly, so I set my pickup location with Uber, and my driver was estimated to arrive in six minutes. Much to my surprise, my driver arrived – and, I kid you not – in a Monster Truck. I stepped up into the massive mobile, and off we went.

In my short ride home, I learned two things. First, I realized that I was famished and asked “Brody” if we could swing through Taco Bell on the way to my place. No problem! I ordered my usual: bean hard taco supremes. He ordered a couple as well, requesting the Verde Salsa sauce to accompany. Wait, what? I had never heard of this. When I arrived home, I added this sauce to my taco and it changed my experience forever. It added just a little tang to a taco that I thought was already nearly perfect. Must. Have. Verde. Salsa. From. Now. On.

The band Busby Marou

Second, if you’ve read my other blog entries, you know that I’m a bit music-obsessed, so Brody and I talked about, of course, music. This is why I love meeting new people, even if for only 15 minutes. I learned about an entirely new-to-me band, an Australian duo called Busby Marou. (Look at how cool these guys look!) We listened to a couple of songs, and Brody said his favorite was All of You. Uplifting, mellow, fun. I liked what I heard. But what I really loved was that Brody loved the band so much.

The point of all of this is that sometimes, new people – even in brief moments – can open our minds to alternate ideas and possibilities. It’s easy to look at a cab ride as just a means to an end, but I like to exchange that thought process and turn the ride into a mini adventure. With my green salsa in tow, I’m packing my bags and heading to the outback!