The story you are about to read is 100% true. This morning I called an Uber to get to an appointment in Center City. The driver showed up promptly, but I — for some stupid reason — could not find my keys. I eventually made it to the street not to find a huffy driver but a gentleman with a smile, holding the door open for me. “Sorry for the delay,” I confessed. “Couldn’t locate my keys.” He laughed as he closed the door. “No rush sir. No such thing as a rush.”

I always like to chat with drivers if they are willing (it’s where guys in sales get some of our best stories). “How is your day going?” I enquired. “Now that you are in the car sir, very well. A paying client is always a good thing.” I laughed, and we were off to the conversational races.

Over the next 20 minutes I learned that he had started at Temple University in 1961, when it was “a war zone.” That made him about my dad’s age. I then learned that he had been in an actual war zone for three years as an intelligence officer in Vietnam, between 1964 and 1966 doing interesting things Laos. “Not that we were ever in Laos,” I commented. He checked the rearview- was this guy in the back an idiot or a smart ass and grinned when he realized the latter. I learned he spent a year in a VA hospital recovering from wounds sustained in combat. Then he finished his degree. We talked about the importance of education, family, Frank Rizzo and the MOVE disaster (both of them), David Koresh, the wisdom of not showing up with a tank when a simple arrest when jogging will do, and how the country has changed, and could we turn it around? We got on well.

As we pulled to a stop, I decided to take a chance. “This has been fun,” I said. “If you enjoyed this conversation, maybe you’d like another. Have you ever heard of a site called Ricochet?”

“Yes,” he replied. “I’m on all the time”.

My jaw dropped, and he laughed again. I said:

“I’m FightinPhilly. Quinn the Eskimo and I organized one of the Philly Meet Ups last year.”

He gave me his screen name and explained that he had wanted to come, but had to work. We shook hands again and parted ways.

It was a great start to the day. Keep the faith Ricochetti. There are more of us out there then we realize. Keep spreading the word.

[Editor’s Note: This is what we mean when we say Ricochet isn’t just a website, but a community. Want to be part of it? Easy. Visit the join page and become a member today. You’ll be glad you did.]