A Sweet Lesson on Patience

I'd like to start off by saying that I don't claim to own any part of this story (I'm still trying to track down the original post and original source), nor do I know if it is 100% true or not. Like a child who believes in Santa Claus - I too would like to believe that this truly happened.

A NYC Taxi driver wrote:

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked.. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard
box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her.. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.'

'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive
through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly..

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice..'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired.Let's go now'.
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.
They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse.

'Nothing,' I said

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug.She held onto me tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behind me, a door shut.It was the sound of the closing of a life..

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day,I could hardly talk.What if that woman had gotten an angry driver,or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

The Best Songs Never Played

As a longtime and pretty die-hard Linkin Park fan, I've grown up with the band throughout the last dozen years or so. Ever since I first got their first (first as Linkin Park) CD Hybrid Theory in 2000 (or was it 2001? can't remember...) Their best CD was undoubtedly Meteora - and it took me a while to come around and really start to see the value in them changing their sound and evolving their stuff instead of putting out more songs of the same footprint/recipe. I collected and listened to each one of their albums - from their pre-LP days (Hybrid Theory EP), to their live concert albums (even bootlegs), to their collaboration albums (with Jay-Z), and their side-projects (Fort Minor) - and finally got around to downloading their fan club exclusives (LP Underground).

It was on their Underground CDs that I found some of their best songs that never made it onto one of their albums and thus probably not even played and heard by some of their biggest fans. These songs were called "demos" which I believe were songs that were 85-95% completed songs but weren't chosen for the actual albums - and thus weren't fully remixed/edited with the careful detail and attention that the songs selected for the CD were given. I've chosen the 3 best songs that I think could've easily made it onto one of their first 3 albums (because that's when they were dated).

1.) Dedicated (Demo 1999)
Released to the LP Underground community back in 2003 on one of the very first fan club CDs - Underground V2.0. This particular song has a very "Hybrid Theory" (the original band) feel to it because there was no presence of Chester - this also makes sense since it is dated back in '99. It's Mike doing his thing: laying down the rhymes and lines to a pretty consistent beat accompanied by some guitar cords and (most likely) Joe Hahn's turntable scratching. There's definitely some background ambiance sound effects as well that gives it a very old school LP feeling. I can also see this song making it as a track on a Fort Minor CD as well - it's got the same kind of vibe. Having said all that - it gives the Shinoda fans what they want to hear, Mike's lyrical skills.

2.) Across The Line (Demo 2007)
Released on Underground v9.0 in 2009, this track surfaced after the release of Minutes to Midnight but was most likely recorded during their work in the studio on the album. Sadly, this awesome song never saw the light of day until it was released to LPU members in-between albums, and was highlighted again a year later in a bonus release called "A Decade Underground" which was a compilation of tracks that were released on various Underground CDs. This song has a fairly dark message within the lyrics that Chester sings. The tempo is upbeat - you can hear Rob on the drums just hammering away - and after a few choruses, Chester really lets his special vocals go to work as he lets out one of his unmistakable screams. Mike can be softly heard echoing the main chorus before concluding the song on the keyboard - and Joe adds his (somewhat creepy) sound effects in the background. This song has almost everything from beginning to end: great tempo, lyrics, vocals, keyboard and table elements, and rad guitar to wrap the whole song together into a masterpiece. Only thing that's potentially missing is more of Mike's voice/lines.

3.) What We Don't Know (Demo 2007)
Another song that was most likely produced during the Minutes to Midnight era. It was released on the 10th anniversary of the Underground CDs - LP Underground X: Demos. This song will hook you before you're even done listening to it the first time through. The chorus is simple, but full of emotions at the same time and you can really hear Chester singing it with feeling. However after listening to it about 20 times or so, it's pretty apparent why it didn't make it onto the album: it sounds a lot like a lot of their other stuff. Now, that's probably a double edged sword and the audience who were disappointed by Minutes to Midnight because they were expecting another Meteora would probably claim this song to be one of LP's greatest hits. However, LP (and also myself) probably realized it was more of the same and didn't have significant substance underneath. The song lacked something that differentiated itself and it just wasn't in line with the "new" and evolved sound in Minutes to Midnight. But listening to the song in the right context - an "oldie" and more "sophomore album" LP style - it fits their recipe to the letter. Chester making the lyrics come alive, great instrumentation, Mike making a presence on the keyboard, great rhythm/tempo, and the guitar strings to compliment the vocals. It's a wonderful song that all Linkin Park fans must hear.

If the perfect song is composed but never exposed, is it still perfect? Or was the lack of evaluation that purifies the perfection?