The Joy of Uber Driving

by Yamini Redewill

  However, I’m not sure what this bouquet thing is all about. Is it attachment to a myth or belief perpetrated by a centuries-old tradition? Is there any merit to this, or should I take it with a grain of salt? Actually, it reminds me of the time I found a beautiful orchid lei in the back of my truck, and I imagined it was a gift from Bhagwan. There was no other reason for a tropical lei to be anywhere near the ranch in Central Oregon, much less in my truck. I felt it was a sign of acknowledgment and love.

  Osho demonstrated the absurdity of attachment on a very visceral level by flaunting his ninety-three Rolls-Royces, which were given to him by his wealthiest sannyasins, who adored him and wanted to give him the best. And what better way to reach people than through the media, which went bananas over the news about his ridiculous number of Rolls-Royces in this age of rampant consumerism? It is more than likely that he was conspiring to transcend his silence and isolation in Central Oregon by doing something so outrageous that people’s curiosity would lead them to his teachings. I don’t think it’s an accident that thirty-six years later, a documentary on Osho and his followers in Oregon was shown at the Sundance Film Festival and became a popular Netflix series on TV called Wild Wild Country.

  I also learned that my body is a temple to be nurtured with organic healthy food, rest, exercise, and an implicit understanding of its sexual function in relationships. Tantric sex takes it to another level of deep resonance with myself and with my partner (whoever it is at the time). With it, I became unashamed of my body. It is a gift, after all, and I must honor it as such. In addition to that, I acquired the ability to treat everything as a meditation (e.g., driving, cooking, washing dishes, sweeping floors, making my bed, or dancing). It’s all done with mindfulness, as if painting a masterpiece

  And finally, I learned that I am the master of my life and the final authority. With Bhagwan’s guidance I have become a light unto myself!

  And then there’s people like Katherine Woodward Thomas, Marianne Williamson, Deepak Chopra, Michael Bernard Beckwith, Ram Dass, Neale Donald Walsch, Eckart Tolle, Matt Kahn, Paul Selig, Brene Brown, and a plethora of other spiritual leaders who have shaped my beliefs and guided my journey into and through the unknown.

  Throughout my spiritual journey, I was able to step outside my comfort zone and explore exciting new worlds and innately feel that I belonged there. The road was never in a straight line. There were dips and curves and roundabouts that looped me back to the land of victimhood from time to time until I had wiped all the capital letters of VICTIMHOOD off the screen, leaving only a faint reminder of it in lower-case size-8 font.

  I now seem to have a certain resiliency and acceptance of what is, no matter how dire or strange the circumstances appear to be. It stems from a deep connection I feel to everyone and everything. I even began talking gently to my hair yesterday, encouraging it to stay in place, as if it were a little being that needed coddling. I talk to all my potted plants every day, certain that they know and appreciate everything I say to them. I’m sure that’s why they are so healthy.

  I’m also noticing how everything in my life flows, particularly when I am aligned with my higher self by thought or by declaration. Occasionally, there’s a blip on my screen, but enough money is always in my bank account, and time seems to be on my side no matter how late I think I’m going to be. I either arrive on time or everyone else is late or it doesn’t matter. Also, while Uber driving in heavy, frenetic traffic in San Francisco, I’m not the least affected by it. I just move at an even pace and always arrive safely and on time for my passengers. Also, when I least expect it, someone comes into my life who becomes a catalyst, either for an endearing friendship, a promising future, or for further illumination. There is no one in my life now who is dissonant to my well-being, including myself. In fact, I see love coming at me from all sides, like many brothers and sisters with open arms. “I see with the eyes of Christ,” so what or who could possibly be bad or wrong or ugly?

  Yes, it was a wild ride that has landed in a field of clover. Imagine, if you can, a seventy-nine-year-old woman rolling around unashamedly, whooping and hollering in the clover. Keep that image in your mind as you read on:

  PING! I was ready to go home when this request came in before I had a chance to turn the Uber app off. I was summoned to the corner of Harbor and Bridgeway in Sausalito, where someone stood whom I recognized from my Sunday Sweat Your Prayers dance. When I approached more closely, he showed surprise that I was his Uber driver and started to open the door to the back but then decided to sit up front with me. He was a good-looking older guy, tall and slim with straight blond-white hair and soulful brown eyes, which he fixed on mine for what seemed like an eternity.

  Feeling somewhat shaken, I told myself that this was a common greeting in our community, and I really shouldn’t think anything of it except that it’s a soulful acknowledgment between friends. We had never spoken before at the Sunday dance (talking on the dance floor is prohibited, as this is a form of meditation), but we did have a sweet connection while dancing, which I remembered quite vividly. So we introduced ourselves, and something about him made me laugh and say the silliest things. I liked who I was being with him, and I felt like I had known him a long time. We laughed about nothing in particular all the way to his house. And yes, that sapphire-blue Tesla did cross my mind, not to mention the wedding bouquet I unexpectedly caught two months prior.

  When he let himself out, he came around to my side and motioned for me to open the door and get out. Following his lead, I stepped out and somehow landed in his arms in a warm, lingering hug. I thought, Mmmmmm, how nice it would be to meet again at Sweat Your Prayers.

  And so we did.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  First and foremost, I want to acknowledge all the Bay Area Uber riders who have inspired and supported me on my journey. Our brief but powerful encounters mean more to me than you will ever know.

  Of course I am so thankful to all those talented and loving souls who supported the writing and production of this book, including Brooke Warner and Cait Levin of She Writes Press. Brooke goes above and beyond as a publisher, supporting her authors in a profound and proactive way.

  Special thanks to Jill Lublin, Michel Joy DelRe, and Geoff Affleck for their expert consulting and publicity training. Thanks to Gail Watson and Laura Rubenstien from Women’s Speaker Association for their expert video speech training. Kudos to Randy Peyser and Anila Manning for all their hard work editing and proofreading my book. Thanks to Susan Tracy from PR Leads and Jane Richey, my talented portrait photographer. And thanks to Kay Leroy from Book Passage in Marin for believing in my book enough to host my launch at the store in the Ferry Building in San Francisco.

  I so appreciate the support given me by Kelly Sullivan Walden all these years for both my books and to Katherine Woodward Thomas, Marci Shimoff, Agapi Stassinopoulos, Judee Morton Fraser, and others already mentioned for their endorsements. Thanks also to Avinasho and Dhanyam from Osho Viha. I must also mention the loving support from many dear friends: Nicola Amadora, Rama Gifford, Christy Michaels, Angel B. Nei, Dawn Jackson, Lori and Rollie Bennett, Rajyo and Vinit Allen, David and Andrea Lieberstein, Quana Ryals and Doug Waagen, and my daughter, Molly.

  Finally, deep appreciation for the wisdom and loving support of my Ascended Masters book club and for the wisdom from my long-time Spiritual Master, Osho.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Born Frances Hamilton Redewill in 1939 in Oakland, CA, Yamini Redewill was given the name Ma Veet Yamini, meaning “going beyond the night,” by Bhagwan Shree Rashneesh in India in 1981. Redewill attended UC Berkeley and graduated with a BA in Fine Arts from UCLA in 1964. After first pursuing a career in acting and singing, she later rose to prominence as the head of wardrobe at CBS-TV and later as a freelance costumer and designer at various Hollywood studios. She later became a photographer and women’s empowerment advocate who created a new niche in photography with her Natural Goddess portraits of women over forty in nature
. In 2014, Redewill compiled her best goddess portraits into a self-published book called The Natural Goddess: Portraits of True Beauty in Women Over 40, which included portraits of Diane Ladd, Connie Stevens, Marla Maples, and Stephanie Powers, along with such notable authors as Barbara Marx Hubbard, Ariel Ford, Lynn Andrews and others.

  SELECTED TITLES FROM SHE WRITES PRESS

  She Writes Press is an independent publishing company founded to serve women writers everywhere. Visit us at www.shewritespress.com.

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  Daring to Date Again: A Memoir by Ann Anderson Evans. $16.95, 978-1-63152-909-2

  A hilarious, no-holds-barred memoir about a legal secretary turned professor who dives back into the dating pool headfirst after twelve years of celibacy.

  Not a Perfect Fit: Stories from Jane’s World by Jane A. Schmidt. $16.95, 978-1631522062

  Jane Schmidt documents her challenges living off grid, moving from the city to the country, living with a variety of animals as her only companions, dating, family trips, outdoor adventures, and midlife in essays full of honesty and humor.

  Gap Year Girl by Marianne Bohr. $16.95, 978-1-63152-820-0

  Thirty-plus years after first backpacking through Europe, Marianne Bohr and her husband leave their lives behind and take off on a yearlong quest for adventure.

  Naked Mountain: A Memoir by Marcia Mabee. $16.95, 978-1-63152-097-6

  A compelling memoir of one woman’s journey of natural world discovery, tragedy, and the enduring bonds of marriage, set against the backdrop of a stunning mountaintop in rural Virginia.

  Postcards from the Sky: Adventures of an Aviatrix by Erin Seidemann. $16.95, 978-1-63152-826-2

  Erin Seidemann’s tales of her her struggles, adventures, and relationships as a woman making her way in a world very much dominated by men: aviation.