Nice topic, @Paul1255. Like some others, I can't say that any particular guest experience has been some kind of epiphany, but hosting has led me to be more relaxed (I know some hosts would say it stresses them out !) in terms of being somewhat of a control freak about my home. While it disturbs my sense of aesthetics to have guests' packages of food, or box of teabags on the kitchen counter, for instance, I know it's no big deal in the scheme of things, and have learned not to let it bother me. If they're accustomed to leaving the box of teabags on the counter at home, it would be petty of me to ask them to put it in the drawer just because I don't like the way it looks. Feels like this has made me a bit of a better person.
I can also be quite abrupt or sarcastic sometimes to the point of tactless, but I have a pretty thick skin and forget not everyone does. Many of my friends appreciate that about me- "You never have to worry about Sarah pussyfooting around an issue or wonder what she's thinking" but I'm aware I can sometimes hurt people's feelings without meaning to. Many times I'm totally joking, like I might say, "Oh, you better not eat that, you might get fat" to someone who's not even slightly fat, without realizing that they are worried about their weight, however silly that may be. Dealing with all these guests makes me think twice before I say something so it's either worded in a non-confrontational manner, or maybe doesn't really need to be said after all. And that spills over into my other relationships.
As I host a room in my home, I can honestly say I've learned so many interesting things from almost every one of my guests, from what they do for a living (some jobs I'd never really heard of), to information I never knew, to the places they've traveled, to very personal things they've shared, like a woman who told me her son was conceived by using a sperm bank because she'd just never had a relationship with a man who wanted kids, and what criteria she used to pick the sperm donor. One woman stayed at my place for a few days before moving over to a retreat center nearby to take a very unique course, and we met for lunch the day she flew out, where she told me all about how amazing the experience was. And guests seem to feel I'm safe to share personal stuff with, one guest even told me "I wouldn't normally tell a virtual stranger this, but you seem like someone who won't be judgemental." So that feels pretty good to know.