For the last two weeks, I have been picking up passengers from the Idaho Falls airport and taking them to Jackson. There is a famous artist working on a project in Jackson, and the passengers we are taking have been family, friends, or part of his crew. I can’t identify the name of the artist, but I can tell you they are in the hip-hop industry.
This has been my first experience with people from that income/celebrity status. I have gotten autographs at the airport from different celebrities before, but this was my first chance to spend any amount of time with them. It was interesting to witness the different personalities.
One of the passengers had their own security agent and required one person to specifically greet them at the airport. That meant someone from Jackson had to drive over, personally greet them, and bring them to our vehicle. Another person would not ride with anyone else, so we had to take two vehicles to take two passengers to Jackson. I had one passenger who was talking on his cell phone almost the whole trip. They were talking about different entertainers in the industry. I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but it was fascinating to hear them talk about some very famous entertainers and the interactions between them. (The voices in my head wanted me to ask; Really! You’re friends with them!) Thankfully I remained silent. It’s safe to say their dialogue was a lot different from this small-town country boy from Grace, Idaho.
My rule when I’m driving is to only ask the questions I need to, and never start a conversation. Some have liked to have a conversation, and others have preferred a quiet ride. My best experience was this week with a young man who is a very talented musician. We had been driving for about 20 minutes when he asked me a few questions about myself. We started talking about many different topics. I enjoyed hearing about his early love for music and the path of his life. He asked about my family, and I told him about Shannon and the foundation. We talked about the division in the country right now. I told him it’s been my experience that the majority of the people simply want to enjoy life and take care of their families. Then I told him how his music is a good example of bringing people together. “If you think about it, when you’re playing to a large group, there are many people with different backgrounds and viewpoints. Your music is uniting them in a positive way.” I told him. It was such an inspirational drive, and I’m am so grateful I was the one who got to take him over.
When I dropped him off, I ask him if he would mind if I gave him a business card of the foundation. “My goal is to always keep her memory alive, and if I can keep her memory alive with someone as famous as you, that would be fantastic,” I told him. He took the card and told me he admired what I was doing. “I’m honored to take it, and I’ll go online and make a donation,” he said.
On the drive back, I thought about our conversation and how inspirational it was. I was so pleased with the fact a very famous person knows about my Angel Shannon. I will always LOVE AND MISS YOU sweetheart.
Next week: Crusade update
P.S. An example of the different dialogue I overheard: “I told him ya gotta pay watcha weigh bro!” There is absolutely no way I could pay what I weigh.