A few months ago, I embarked on what was supposed to be an eight week long journey. When I left my dorm at college, I knew that I wouldn't be in a bed to call my own for another two months. In the beginning, I romanticized the idea of couch surfing.
I've got a kind of gypsy soul, so I figured that bouncing from house to house would be exciting. But staying in different houses every night was exhausting. In what ended up being nine weeks, I stayed in a total of twelve different houses. I stayed with friends that I hadn't seen in months, and I stayed with people who I had only become close with the past few months. My commute to work, no matter where I stayed, was at least an hour during rush hour - and more often than not, it was longer than that. I quickly learned that the gypsy life that I had huge expectations for was sometimes a pain in the ass. But during my brief (yet plenty long enough) experience with couch surfing, I learned a couple things that have made me a better, and much happier, all around person.
Find adventure.
There's no better time to experience the world around us than right now. I've lived in the same state my entire life, but during my time couch surfing, I saw places in my home state that I had never even heard of. Because I wasn't restricted by a daily routine, it became a lot easier for me to say yes when my friends would invite me to spur of the moment activities.
Forget about the material things.
My car became my constant, and when you drive a Volkswagen Beetle, you don't necessarily have a lot of room to bring everything along. In my travels, I mostly kept some clothes, my phone and charger, a journal and my camera on hand. Everything else became a lot less important to me. Instead, I was able to...
Fall in love with humanity.
During my time couch surfing, I fell in love with so many people in my life. I began to appreciate their stories so much more. I allowed myself to be vulnerable around my friends, and in return, they opened themselves up to me. After recognizing the finer details in the people I'm close with, I began to see beauty in almost every person I meet.
Be conscious of the little things.
When I used to stay at people's houses, I expected them to offer me dinner. But because I didn't have my own kitchen to make myself a meal, I became a lot more grateful when somebody fed me. Or offered a towel and their shampoo so I could take a shower. These simple acts that I would otherwise have taken for granted meant the world to me.
In the nine weeks that I waited to move in to my own place, I was forced far out of my comfort zone. I had a job and a car to help get me through, but if it weren't for the amazing people in my life, I wouldn't have been able to stay as optimistic during that time. My circumstances forced me to appreciate the people around me and the world that I live in. And while I hope that I'm never in the position where it's the "norm" for me again, couch surfing trained me to be a more grateful and optimistic person.
