Coming to terms with financial loss.
(A divine appointment at the Orlando International Airport.)
I arrived late last night at the Orlando airport and arranged for a driver to take me to my hotel. Stan picked me up in an older Toyota compact car, worn but clean. He was perhaps in his late 60’s, with a bit of an accent I couldn’t quite place.
After exchanging pleasantries, Stan proceeded to inquire about my reasons for being in Florida, my work and the event I was attending. It was 12:30 am and I was beat from a long day of travel. I wasn’t really in the mood for chitchat, but I offered some answers, then I asked Stan about himself.
Stan told me he was a retired engineer. At first, he spoke as if driving for Lyft was a way to pass the time and meet people. But soon, he told me how he really felt. He was bitter and frustrated. He felt taken advantage of and trapped in work he hated.
Eleven years ago, Stan had owned a small construction company. He was busy during the real estate boom, but when the subprime mortgage crash hit and foreclosures skyrocketed, he was put out of business. He lost everything – including his home.
Now we had some common ground. I told Stan I had been a real estate investor at the same time. I had also lost hundreds of thousands of dollars. I had also lost properties, including my own home. I was still rebuilding, but I had my own home again and things were going well.
Sam was glad to hear I had turned things around, but confessed he was not rebuilding. He was struggling and at a loss for what to do.
“It’s hard,” Stan kept repeating, almost like a mantra. “It’s hard having college degrees and working for essentially minimum wage…” “It’s hard losing everything…” “It’s hard watching the bankers get off scot free… hard starting over… hard trying to rebuild….”
“Yes, it IS hard,” I affirmed. “It’s hard losing your home. It’s hard losing your business. But you know what’s even harder? Losing everything… and still being mad about it!”
I proceeded to share with Stan how I had made peace with the past. How I had forgiven myself for making what turned out to be bad investments.
And I shared with him the thing that saved me in the worst of times: GRATITUDE. Before anything turned around in my financial life. I had to turn myself around. I had to learn to give thanks in every moment for what I had – even when it wasn’t much.
Stan listened, then shared more grievances. (It was clear this was a well-practiced mental habit.) He was a bit mad at God and found little joy in anything life had to offer.
I wondered if I sounded like some kind of Pollyanna to him… yet he listened. And soon, he was sharing with me how his last job as a truck driver didn’t work out, but how he loved the taste of apples from Washington state. How fresh they were – like nothing he had tasted before! He shared how he really wasn’t trapped in Orlando, that he was free to move anywhere and try something new. I encouraged him to explore what would give him joy in both his work and daily life.
We arrived at my hotel and I met him at the back of the car. As he lifted my suitcase out of the trunk, looked at me and said, “Pray for me.”
“I will, Stan. I will.”
Today I am praying for a frustrated Lyft driver in Orlando who is watching his life flash before his eyes while he dwells in anger and regret. I am praying he finds joy.
It‘s clear to me – Stan isn’t in pain today because he lost his home, his income, or his money. He is in pain because he lost HOPE. He let circumstances steal his dreams, his confidence, and his peace of mind.
I am praying that Stan comes to know himself as powerful, worthy, abundant and FREE.
Because he is. (And so are you.)
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