It is the end of another strange yet beautiful year and while I gently navigate the frozen streets to my home I give thanks. I sigh and think about travelling again and the experiences I have had in taxi cabs.   I think about the lessons and messages I have received from taxi drivers.

Taxi drivers all over the world may be the wisest people. The conversations that I have had with them remain forever ingrained in my heart.

When you think about taxi drivers are amazing, They often come from various background and cultures and many have high levels of education and speak several languages. This is often the case in large urban centers. They can speak to everyone and anyone and can navigate any social situation that they encounter. They see people at their best and their worst. They can make small talk and they can also have serious philosophical debates.

A few years ago after several significant loses I went on what I call ” grief travels.” This was a process of letting go and healing.

The taxi cab drivers that I encountered provided some good material for future talks and writing. They also in their own way provided informal therapy. At the back of the car with my face streaming they offered tissues and encouragement to check out the latest sites.

When arriving and departing they offered a genuine welcome and advice for safe travels.

While I balanced a heavy load and teetered unbalanced they helped me while driving the complicated urban roads.

They listened and talked sharing their lives and stories as if we were old friends.

These are the main takeaways from such lovely experiences.

1.  Home is wherever you want home to be and wherever love is.
2.  Go lightly for you can always get whatever you need where you are going.
3.  The world is always changing and growing. Listen to people for you will learn more from the wisdom of others than from any course or  curriculum.
4.  We are never lost we just might not know where we are going.
5. Everyday is a gift and journey.
6. The rain looks lovely in a taxi cab.
7. Sometime sleep in a cab is a like a mother’s embrace.
8. Taxi cabs are filled with people’s life stories and are like a visit to a museum for the driver has experienced many lives through the people that they encounter.
9. The taxi driver is the true sage and city guru. Ask anything you need and want to know and they will have an answer. If they do not know the answers you will likely be directed to the source .
10. Whatever you say stays in the cab kind of like a prayer and talking to God.
11. Healing takes time.

My last taxi cab ride was after a return from Toronto this past summer. At five am in the morning the cab driver greeted me saying ” Welcome home my dear your city awaits” I sighed as a few tears rolled down my cheeks. This driver was the same one that dropped me off at the airport a month earlier.

He smiled and said ” My dear it is going to be a beautiful day because you are home at last”. This felt like the voice of my father. I shook the hands of an elderly gentleman after he handed me my bags. I turned and waved noticing that he waited until I was safe inside.  He waved back and smiled.