We all have a secret spot. Somewhere we find joy every time it crosses our thoughts. Mine? The Gorge. A place the gods and mother earth gifted us just about an hour out of Atlanta, GA.
When I was in Georgia I did a hike in the Tallulah Gorge State Park. It’s about a 5-hour hike total with a natural rock slide at the very bottom of the mountain. It was me, my best friend, and my cousin and although my cousin and I had been on this hike before, we were still VERY excited to go back. It had been almost 10 years since I had been there and I was mostly excited to get to relive one of my favorite childhood memories as an adult. Once we arrived, we met a group of 4 people who had been there about 10 minutes before us. They were the perfect example of why secret spots with strangers are tons of fun. (They were the very reason I decided to write about this in the first place!) They greeted us with jokes when we first got there and we immediately hit it off. We took pictures for each other, and exchanged stories like we were at a family cookout. After exchanging IG accounts, they helped my best friend with job leads for when she moved to ATL, Georgia. We enjoyed each other’s company so much, we made a joke that we are going to make this a tradition from now on. (We have not kept the tradition, however, I do hope we run into them again one day.)
Meeting, connecting, exchanging stories, and creating priceless memories with people are, as my cousin so perfectly phrased it, “being kissed by the universe”. It was official, my (not so) secret spot was better when shared with friends and strangers.
I think I speak for all, if not many, fellow travelers out there that while I travel there is a willingness to be all-accepting of those you meet and those around you. Whether you are meeting a local or another fellow traveler, the community of wanders is always receiving each other with arms wide open. It’s truly incredible to feel mutual respect and admiration for one, even though you have not met each other before. This, to me, is a beautiful form of love. I have personally been welcomed and invited into people’s homes and eaten off of their grandmothers’ china; simple encounters treated as special occasions.
“This can’t be real” is what I had repeated in my head sometimes when I found myself in these scenarios. Sometimes the feelings of love and joy were so overwhelming that I found myself tearing up or in complete awe of all the incredible things human beings are capable of and willing to do. Every once in a while, you will meet some not-so-pleasant people, but let’s be real, there will always be someone out there who is having a bad day and you were just at the wrong place, at the wrong time. We don’t know what’s going in their lives and maybe all they need right now is a little bit of TLC from a friendly stranger to brighten up their day.
So here’s my challenge for you on your next trip: greet a stranger and trust them for no reason. (Go with your gut on this one.) Keep in mind, that you don’t need to be halfway across the world in order to complete this challenge. You can implement this new habit in your own neighborhood and be the one to start the trend there! Put it into practice today and watch how your days will be just a little bit brighter.
Much love,
Taynahmite