You never know who you are going to meet in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Today, in fact, I met several inspiring celebrities.
Have any of you ridden in a New York City cab lately? For a couple of years now, all the cabs have been outfitted with interactive TVs that give you news, sports, weather, entertainment and, naturally, commercials (to pay for all those new TVs).
At first the cabbies resisted the change. The screens would be too expensive to install and maintain. Lo and behold the drivers discovered that riders loved the screens. It distracted passengers in traffic jams and generally made their rides more pleasant. So the TLC—that’s the Taxi & Limousine Commission—was right in mandating the screens. Ridership went up, more than offsetting the cost of the new toys.
Anyway, usually I walk everywhere. But today I was in a hurry so I jumped in a cab. All of a sudden I saw Brian Williams, Kristin Chenoweth, Bobby Flay, Soledad O’Brien and Edward Norton.
What were they all doing in my cab?
A public-service announcement for the news channel the TV was tuned to, that’s what. You’ve probably guessed by now that what all of them have in common was that they appeared on the cover or inside Guideposts magazine. They all had a great, inspiring story or an uplifting quote. That’s why I was so happy to see them.
Going back to the founding of the magazine, we have always put famous and notable people on the cover. Readers tell us they like inspiring stories from celebrities because it shows that we all face the same basic problems in life—how to find meaning in our work, how to make marriages and families stronger, how to build new relationships within our communities and how to use our faith in every aspect of our lives.
That’s what we look for in a celebrity story. Now here’s my question for you: What inspiring celebrities or notable people would you like to see in Guideposts in the coming year? Here’s a bit of advice: Don’t say Joel Osteen, Debbie Macomber or Roma Downey. They’re already scheduled. Please post your suggestion below.
