We don't have to go back too far for this week's THROW BACK THURSDAY since this photo is of my last Couchsurfer from last Saturday who arrived in her present home a converted delivery van.
This amazing young lady has a lifetime ahead of her and I wish her well on her journey and the many paths ahead. She was headed cross country from her South Carolina land where she is a caretaker to California, her former home. She has already experienced co-creating an app, teaching and recently trained to become a Life Coach. I know she'll be great at it!
Posing in the van she remodeled with Huck, her sidekick and one of her wonderful acrylic paintings behind her.
I joined Couchsurfing to meet like-minded people who wanted to make the world a little smaller and a little kinder by being ambassadors of where they lived either offering advice of what to do/see or a space to crash: a bed, backyard, couch/ in this Couchsurfer's case, she just needed a driveway.
Knowing her departure had been at 4:30 am, I knew she would probably arrive exhausted after such a hot, long drive and she might be hungry, I had invited her to join me for dinner. She was so appreciative for the AC, facilities, dinner and was truly a delightful conversational ist with even a little Chinese thrown in. (Her accent was impeccable.) Her traveling companion, Huck, her sweet rescue dog suffers from PTSD and stayed by her side. By the end of our dinner, he was leaning against my leg. Aw.
It was a super short stay as both of us were calling it an early night as she would pull out at 5am the next day. We said our goodbyes after dinner as she returned to her van for the night.
My kids think I am crazy for participating in this program but you read bios of the Couchsurfer and references by other hosts/guests. You then decide if they seem like someone who you would want to meet.
Life is to be lived and my life was enriched by meeting this young lady.
After reading the reference she wrote on the website, how could I not feel terrific?
"Karen is an amazing host. She really went out of her way to make sure I had everything I could possibly need during my stay, including snacks she’d left for me to take for the road but it was so dark as I was leaving early in the morning that I didn’t notice! She had homemade 5 mushroom and lentil stew ready that was absolutely delicious and just what I needed after a long day of traveling. Food aside, Karen can really carry and lead a conversation and we did not run out of things to talk about. I loved hearing her stories about Wisconsin and other life experiences. I felt as though we connected very well. Her house is full of art that she’s been collecting over the years. It was like walking into a gallery.
She’s so full of joy, and I was in awe of how she’s sustained such a beautiful perspective on things. Stay with Karen, meet up with Karen, host Karen. Read Karen’s blog. Karen won’t let you down, y’all."
You had better make your reservations soon, I think my calendar will be filling in... LOL
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