The Power of People
So for the past two weeks, I've been bouncing from couch to couch (and a bed here and there), relying on friends that I haven't seen in a while because of moving or life making us drift apart and it's been such a great experience.
I have many reasons for starting this trip. If anyone is keeping track, keep me updated. One of the reasons I decided to do this was the fact that I hate people. That's insane, you say? Try working in the service industry. Fine dining, no less. The sense of entitlement from the customers, the lack of appreciation from the company, the apathy and lack of empathy from the coworkers, the sudden hate for happy hour, it all really leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth for humanity. Add this onto a family that runs a temp agency where people will lie through their teeth and beg for more when you've given everything you can and show no sense of appreciation and maybe you can kind of get a picture of where I'm coming from.
But this trip has really made that go away. In just a few short weeks, I've really been humbled by how amazingly good people can be. I've been let into people's houses, given food and beer, have had people show me their cities, and had some people donate to my cause in whatever way they could. This is just a handful of experiences:
I was treated to a home-cooked steak dinner on my first night by a friend's father who had barely met me. If that wasn't enough, he handed me some cash for drinks that night with his daughter (an old friend) and said to keep whatever was left. My friend wouldn't let me buy drinks and fed me the entire weekend. I was also given a lovely coloring by her niece.
I was given a brand new portable grill by a friend's father (dad's love this trip, apparently) and was given a great lead on a possible job. The job didn't pan out, but it was a great opportunity that I would have never known about, otherwise.
I was given a place to stay and a tour of Baltimore by an old friend who I haven't spoke to in years and she took basically three full days to show me a good time with trips to the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Walters History Museum, a great cafe and restaurant, and a few great bars. In one of the bars – Ottobar, if anyone wants a great place to go – we were given free songs on the jukebox (which, to me, is a phenomenal gift) and met a great crew of people who donated to my gas fund and bought us both drinks. I really have no words for how nice and fun those people are. I hope you read this and thank you all, again.
Next, I got to shoot around the Metro in the DC area and was treated to my first Irish meal, complete with Guinness by my old coworkers and loving folks who moved away from my home not too long ago. This alone would have been great, but we ended the night at their amazing apartment with cocktails and literally THE BEST WINGS I have ever had. Oh, my goodness. And, without a charger because I'm horrible at leaving things, I was donated a freebie to replace my idiocy.
And now I'm here, sitting in the home of my childhood friend whom I haven't seen in ages with beer, gin, and great Indian food.
Oh, and showers. I can't believe how much a good, hot, high water pressure feels. Just heaven. Also, I never knew how great it was to poop under a skylight. Amazing.
This is all anecdotal but I write this because I wouldn't believe these stories if I was hearing them. I have to write them down so people can understand how huge the hearts of the people around them are. We have become so numb to the fact that we're all people and we're all connected. It's so refreshing to actually FEEL connected to people through the fact that I've been welcomed like a family member by all these people, some of which I've barely or never met.
I rushed this trip, I'll be the first one to tell you that. I rush through a lot of things in my life, but I'm working on that. But it's been through the power of people acting as a community that I've been able to survive and succeed. If I forget something or find out that something doesn't work the way it's supposed to, I've had people there. When my pants ripped, Chloe was there. It's refreshing. Just like this gin.
Stay connected and safe travels,
GoVanJoe