So, we met with our accountant last week. In doing our taxes (better late than never, right?), she had some questions about ground transportation. When I was speaking in Tampa, did we drive over? Sure, it’s only 90 minutes away. What about to Atlanta? Clemson? Winston-Salem? Uh, no, no and no. And not just “no”, but no way! Travel is part of my job, but I do not relish having my butt planted in any seat for six plus hours.
Changing gears. The Hottness and I just got back from a week at a resort in Riveria Maya. This is about 30 minutes from Cancun which is in Mexico. We honeymooned here, so it’s always sweet to go back. This resort is outstanding, mainly because of the fantastic service and attitudes of the employees. And, because it’s a pretty good sized piece of land, there are golf cart drivers everywhere. Our favorite was a fellow named Francisco.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit, I know nothing about the Mexican economy. Just having a job might be a task, no idea Mexico’s unemployment rate. And, no idea what the salary might be for these golf cart drivers. I know that most people tip them a buck or two, but I wouldn’t begin to imagine how much that adds up to in a day. $25? $100? I just don’t know.
Francisco was just really cool. He drove us to a late breakfast one morning, saying he’d gotten off work the night before at 11. Then, he had two hours to get home, but he wasn’t sleepy and was up until 2 a.m. Then, he had to be back at work at 6, so he was up at 3:45 to get ready and get back to work. I’m horrible at math, but that’s like zero rest. And Commuting four hours out of seven? I’d go crazy!
Francisco wasn’t complaining, just making conversation. And, anyone could see how happy he was driving guests around…all day. His happiness was just flat contagious, so we asked for Francisco as our driver every time.
Not sure about you, but four hours of commute time every day, making dollar tips and getting virtually no sleep doesn’t sound like fun to me. But, Francisco made it fun. I guess my takeaway is this: Francisco chose to have fun. That fun rubs off on the guests with whom he interacts and, of course, that benefits his pocketbook. Whatever you’re doing, stop and ask yourself…am I having fun? And, can you choose to have fun in that moment?
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