About 12 hours ago I ordered a car through Uber. I was running late, moving between two important appointments in San Francisco. A car pulled up, driven by a young man named Mustapha. He greeted me with a smile and we began the usual ritual of pleasantries, questions, and some hearty conversation between stops. Mustapha’s car was clean and the ride was pleasant and efficient….traits that this young man seemed to embody in his service, clean-cut appearance and kind demeanor.
Just a few minutes into the ride, Mustapha revealed that he was having a very special day. That morning he had raised his hand and taken an oath of allegiance to the U.S.A. as part of his citizenship ceremony. “It feels good to be American, he told me with pride. “This is who I will be from this point forward.”
It turns out I was one of Mustapha’s first fares after his citizenship ceremony. Industrious and anxious to get ahead, he had gone right back to work. I thought about how significant this was. Most people would probably feel they deserved a rest, but Mustapha’s industrious, positive ambition, put him right back to work at an honest job, doing a great job. He didn’t complain that times were tough (although we definitely discussed it). Instead he was finding ways to make them better.
Mustapha and I talked about his path to citizenship and how he could now celebrate the best of two cultures. He talked about how he loved his native Morocco but how he relished the opportunity and freedoms of the U.S. We shared stories about Morocco and I told him how much I love the food and admire the culture of the country. He indulged my stories about my travel to Morocco and was just gracious in every way.
The ride came to a close, I paid my fare through Uber, we parted ways, and I wished Mustapha well. But my trip with Mustapha had not yet ended…
About two hours later I got a message from Mustapha. The message was simple, but said a lot about this man, one of our country’s newest Americans. “Sir – you left your phone charger in my car. I overheard you say you were leaving San Francisco tonight. I will be at the airport and can easily drop it off for you.” Those of you who understand customer service will recognize this call as the sign of someone who absolutely “gets it.”
(Side note: For those who know me, you’ll realize this scenario is a bit of a classic Sherinian move. I am unfortunately a Johnny Appleseed when it comes to phone chargers. It is one of my bad habits that I am the very best at….and drives me nuts. I tend to drop them around the country and, at some point, just hope that someone, somewhere, was in need of a charger and found one that was part of the Sherinian personal collection of long lost cell phone accessories. But tonight this personal shortcoming taught me something indeed.)
Now back to Mustapha… His call was one of my favorite moments of the week. This was a simple gesture of kindness, but revealed a lot about the kind of person that our country had just welcomed as its newest citizen. A few hours later, when running for the plane from our final meeting in San Francisco, I congratulated Mustapha at the airport curb and told him how much his commitment to customer service and his work ethic had taught me that day.
I learned a lot from Mustapha. I hope that I can be as creative, as dedicated to customer service, and as grateful for the chance to work as this person, our “newest American” was on his first day as a U.S. Citizen. I am grateful to be part of a great country that embraces diversity, rewards hard work, and inspires people to go the extra mile. Let’s all work together to keep it a place where that system works, everyone can prosper, and where people strive to do better, not just to get ahead.
1 comment
On some days it feels particularly like the universe puts exactly where we need to be – and for both you and Mustapha that was the case yesterday. I hope Mustapha gets to read your beautiful post in celebration of his big day and all that becoming an American means.