Do you want to go on a treasure hunt? It is an adventure with clues strewn across the globe. Clues laid out over the course of a decade, on four continents and a menagerie of cities. I laid them out myself but, the funny thing, is I didn´t realize what I was doing. I now recount the story, now onto its 20,000th mile, on the #81 Colectivo, or bus, in Córdoba, Argentina where the air is rife with sing-song dialects of Spanish. Adults and teenagers shuffle to make room for one another as everyone heads off to work or school.
My hunt commenced nine months ago, in the sprawls of a suburb in Orlando, Florida. It was February 18th, the day I decided to bestow myself with the best gift imaginable: honesty. After informing my parents I was gay and a 90 minute discussion on morality, we were at an impasse. I left my parents with love, informing them when they are ready to remember that love overrides all, the lines of communication to me will always be open. They taught me that lesson and, for that, I am forever appreciative. This gift of honesty enabled me, in turn, to ask others for help. The effect was immediate. People from different epochs of my life came to my aid. It did not matter whether they were a passing acquaintence, an old professor, a friend met during previous travels – no matter where people lay on the web of friendship, they easily found me at the center.
These relationships were my treasure. Offers of assistance and places of relocation poured from the tin rich valleys of Kuala Lumpur, the jungle concrete of New York City, to the Rococo laden streets of Paris. During the cool, winter days of February, I found the summer warmth of friendship. Three days in New Orleans where the sound of brass instruments dominate the streets; a month in a high rise Orlando condo, overlooking the attractions millions from all over the world come to see; a week in the sprawls of the Santa Monica mountains; the list goes on. People who I had not seen for years greeted me into their homes as a son returning from an extended vacation.
In total, I had 17 new homes I could call my own. I never knew I had so many last names. I decided to continue my journey with a special treat. For the past fourteen years, I have had a virtual pen pal that resided in Córdoba, Argentina. A friendship that manifested itself over a chatroom was the impetus for my next course of action. Now, 6,600 miles later, I am situated in southern hemisphere, finally meeting one of my best friends in corporeal form. With summer around the corner, I have, once again, escaped the sensations of winter. I am now enmeshed in a new adventure: trying to pick up a new language from scratch. This involves a different type of gratitude. So thank you to the Spanish medium I sat next to the plane to Santiago, Chile who assured me our flight would be safe; thank you to the worker at the panadería who kept me from spending 50 extra pesos on a loaf of bread; and thank you to the immeasurable kindness from strangers who, after helping me with directions through an intense game of international hand charades, invited me to share a drink of their mate (a blend of herbs and one of the ultimate symbols of sharing in Argentina).
My biggest take away from the past nine months is this: friendship is the most valuable currency and it never depreciates. I do not believe I can ever find a means to properly thank the people who have assisted me on my psychological and physical journey but I do my best by passing the kindness they have shown me to others. I lazily gaze out the window of the Colectivo. The sands of the sierras being blown in on the fresh winds of spring fill the air. There are cherry blossoms in full bloom littering the streets with their varicolored petals. A bus stop approaches. There is a queue of women with children in tow. The fellow next to me sees this as well and he begins to put his book away. I will follow suit. We both know the drill. My bus mate is about to stand and I will follow. As the women enter, one of us will ask, “Se quiere sentar?” “Would you like to sit?” They will smile in appreciation. I have learned that the gratitude of a small gesture during a journey, no matter the length, creates a chain reaction. Even the largest wave begins as a ripple.
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