My Cyclist for the Evening

I signed up for a site for Warm Showers, a site reciprocal hospitality for touring bicyclists because I am a seeker for ways to expand my horizons or comfort levels and push back boundaries of what is routine and expected so that life feels fresh and as spontaneous and juicy as possible.

Lomax contacted me by email just a few days before the intended visited. I didn't know the first thing about this person. I pondered what information do I need/want to know to feel comfortable with a stranger staying with me and my boys. It was likely that the boys would be the first to greet our cyclist since I was working late that night. What would you ask? I asked if Lomax was a guy or girl and the age-ish.

Turns out Lomax is 26 male, from Louisiana and he recently quit his job at Starbucks so he could tour California. He had taken a Greyhound to San Diego and was trekking as far north as he could get before taking the bus back home. When he called to confirm how close he was and where was the nearest grocery store, he called me Miss Jamie. So cute.

When I was a young teen, my mom decided to not only host a Spanish exchange student, but be the activity director for the group as well. I was so taken by the way Spanish boys and girls interacted with each other with such comfort and less constraints that I felt with the opposite sex. Our exchange student, Paloma, got a tarot reading from my nana. I always thought nana was kooky and embarrassing. But to watch Paloma listen so engaged and enthralled, I decided maybe there was something I overlooked and began to find a new respect for this grandmother who lived her unconventional life. One of her famed adventures was when she toured the world on luxury liners as a tarot reader.

It was possible to look at life differently when someone with a different perspective looks at your world with fresh eyes.

Lomax put the back rack on my tire and said it was the first time he got to give back to a host. I gave him a map of California that would help him find sneak camp spots and a pass to Natural Products Expo so he could stock up on energy bars and sample shampoos.

Soon enough, it will be my turn to hit the road!