Styrofoam Cup

It was when I still worked as a limo driver in New York. Bill Clinton’s 50s birthday there in August of 1996 was an event in Radio City Music Hall, and then there was a fundraiser in Waldorf Astoria, and for the entourage there was a party in Planet Hollywood at 140 57 St.

I got a job and picked the passenger and drove him from Radio City a few blocks to Planet Hollywood, where I was told to stay and wait. Waiting is always a good job, and I stood to make decent money.

Well, you can’t stay on 57. I know that, the Police know that, but the guys at the door told me to stay. 10 minutes later I got a Police officer telling  me to leave. Guys walked to the Police cruiser and told him to leave me alone. They were National Security, and the Police left. As every other Police officer who showed up there and attempted to ticket me.

I was told to sit in the car and be ready whenever needed. A homeless man in his early 30s was passing by and at that moment a limo stopped at the door. The guy opened the passenger door, and let people out and got a tip. The cars were coming one after another, and he kept opening doors and the money was coming. Good money.

And then he put the money into a Styrofoam cup and walked straight to me and showed me a $20 note.

- Look what I got. They are idiots

I told him to keep doing it, but he said “No, I am done for the evening”. The cars kept coming and coming, and should he stay, he would make a fortune. Especially if he waited till they start leaving and then repeat the whole money rain again.

But he made his money, and he left. He was homeless, who passed on a chance to make enough money even maybe to rent an apartment, and maybe do something with his life… but he just giggled holding a $20 bill…

If I were in his shoes, I would have stayed there opening the doors until there were no more doors to open.

I will always remember that night in Manhattan. It was a great lesson. They were not idiots, they lived good life. $20-note was not the ceiling for them. I often see people with these Styrofoam cups with a $20 bill walking around. It is not that they can’t make more, or better advance in life. It is that they set their ceiling so low, and every time they make their $20, or $200, or $2,000 or whatever, they turn around and walk away. They shut themselves out of the wonderful opportunities.

So often when people bitch about life, I look closer … and closer…and I see the Styrofoam cup with a $20 note.