Be the Stranger

Take yourself, all alone, to places

Where nature and architecture

Speak in different accents.

Don’t ask the travel guide

For a restaurant recommendation:

Ask the gas station attendant.

Belly up to the breakfast counter

And eavesdrop on the locals.

Listen to the town gossip

Spilled by the waitress and cook.

Observe the way people who pass

On the sidewalk interact.

Do they nod and wave?

Do they stop and chat?

Do they race past each other

Avoiding eye contact at all costs?

If the customs differ from your own,

Try to join in as best you can.

If the bar’s entertainment of choice Is line dancing, get up and dance.

When you stop to grab a coffee

Read the bulletin board.

What services are offered today?

What’s the local high school play?

If there’s an ice cream social

At the local community center

Go to it, and savor each moment.

Seek out all the local flavors

And eat authentic local food

Even if it’s weird.

Especially if it’s weird.

Wander around the town with no map

And ask directions when you get lost.

Take note of the little sighs of relief

You breathe when something feels like home.

Note every kindness you encounter

And the things that bring you comfort.

Stay away long enough to get homesick.

Do all of this with your whole heart.

This is a holy endeavor.

Welcoming the stranger is sacred,

But so is being the stranger.

For you can’t truly welcome someone

Until you know, first hand, what they need.

Let the adventure begin!