Winter Is Here, Damnit.

Winter on the carriage is not the most engaging time of year for a Memphis Carriage Driver. The bright lights of Christmas, the fun of Thanksgiving, these things help ease the blow of what every carriage driver here in Memphis knows: the cold is upon us. After the joy of the holiday season is put away until next year and Thanksgiving is just a meal you had on a Thursday, January and February descend. Besides Valentine's Day, it is a bleak and lonely time, chock full of rejection, wind and no money. Precautions have to be taken lest depression enter an already bleak time. It takes longer hours of work to make half the amount of money as the rest of the year and those two months are just around the corner, leering at poor, unsuspecting carriage drivers, ready to shred our financial plans, our morale and our overall sanity to shreds. Of course, Spring will bring back the good times- the Elvis Lovers, the spring breakers, Music Fest and all that, but for now, those are the things of myths. They don't seem real and all that does seem real is that brisk wind when you work all day or all night two blocks from the Mississippi River. "Do you all work 365 days a year?" I am asked quite often. It feels like it.One day at a time, eh? :)

Why Lie?

After careful consideration, we have decided that the next time some guy who is aware that he isn't going to take a carriage ride the night I ask him to, and is, furthermore, aware that I am aware a ride isn't going to happen, yet still says,"Sure, just not now, maybe later." will be seen as a problem in need of attention and will be dealt with. The fact is, sir, your days of lying are over because I next time you lie to me, I am going to call you out in front of God, your lady friend and everyone for the sole purpose of saving your eternal soul. "Why lie, man?" is what I'm going to say. Why lie to other people, especially about commerce? I don't mind rejection, I can't. In fact, I have to use it to my advantage and let it fuel the fires of things like courage and confidence. "I don't care if you go home and starve tonight and your animals as well."- that I can handle, a straight up,"No." But a "Things are looking up for you because yeah, I can see us doing business in the future and probably tonight!" with not an element of truth in it is a lot more harsh than "I don't care if you've been driving for forever, you can't attract a ride tonight if your literal life depended on it." That's called Reality, Mr. Lying Man About Town, and I much prefer it to a bold-faced lie like the one you tell me when you bs me about a carriage ride. I choose not to be involved with lying if I can help it and I can help it. I can get you to realize that whenever you are ready to conduct business, you know where to find me. In the mean time, if you insist on rejecting all that is sacred and true on this plane of being, Ultimate Truth, well, I chose to embrace the concept of Honesty, all the time, and those that don't, well, I have no use for them.At this point, I don't even think I want you on my carriage. Redeem Yourself, Dear Sir! Go away from the naysayers of goodness and embrace proper manners in life. Straighten up your back and speak words that leave little doubt as to their truth. Say "Yes" when you mean yes, "No" when you mean no and in all manner of things, be honest.