Has a guest ever changed your perspective/outlook on life?

[Paul1255]

Quite naturally, there tends to be a lot of posts in the CC about guests who aren’t as positive as we’d like, and situations that could be better- and huge amounts of support from amazing hosts!

I’m sure everyone has had some amazing experiences with guests through their time hosting- we probably just talk about them less- so I thought I’d share a couple of mine with you:

-I hosted a couple from Mexico who were on the final leg of a European road trip and spent 3 nights with me. We were chatting over breakfast, I said I bet they didn’t want to go home!

One of them said he COULD NOT wait to get back to work, as he missed it so much! I looked totally shocked, and he said he loves his job so much and feels so much passion for it he doesn’t feel like he works at all....the next day I updated my CV and started looking for a new job!

-I hosted an artists assistant who was visiting London to set up a piece of work for the artist she works for, and she invited me to have a walk round the exhibition before the private view and opening.

It was an exhibition of various video artists, the space was HUGE and there was no one there apart from me, it was so empty!  I sat and watched one work which was a video piece of a film of a band playing the same song over and over- I sat in that room for half an hour watching it and got so lost in it I came out feeling amazing about life.

My guest helped me to discover a part of London that was totally deserted (at least in that pre-opening moment) that I would never have found myself and it felt like magic!

Have you hosted guests that have changed your perspective or outlook on life in a positive way? I’d be glad to hear your stories.

Paul 🙂 

[Paul1255]

Thanks so much for sharing something so personal @Clara116 that's really something special! Amazing how someone can simply happen across us, just because they need a place to lay their head, but have such a huge impact on our lives.

I am just read a little of your story on Learnairbnb. Wonderful. Hugs to you too.

[Donald28]

It happens the other way too. Here's what a recent guest wrote about me and my place. 

We meet a lot of great people as we travel and one of the things we enjoy most is talking and listening to how they make their life work for them. Our tiny house host was one of them. .
.
We’re inspired by people who think outside the box, creating a life that gives them the freedom to enjoy their passions on their own terms. The tiny house experience and chatting to our pinball fanatic Airbnb host was definitely one we’ll remember for that reason.   

[Paul1255]

Hi @Donald28 so good to hear about the perspective the other way around too! What lovely feedback from your guests there- and you just living your best life inspires others. Fantastic!

[Deji2]

Thanks Donald for your bit.

I like to LEARN, as necessary unlearn and re- learn. I am already enjoying this community and have a feeling it will be a highpoint for me in Airbnb.

Anyone with thoughts or experiences in- the digital economy- and how 50 year plus folks can be participants?

[Terri38]

I hosted an elderly woman and her daughter.  Both of them had lived in a concrete jungle all their lives.  I got to see the expression of sheer delight as they walked barefoot on the grass for the first time.  I will no longer take my lawn for granted.

[Paul1255]

@Terri38 that's wonderful to hear! Guests always appreciate our spaces, but lovely to hear that experience has done the same for you and your lawn.

I'm London so I fill my flat with houseplants to create a little rainforest vibe 🙂

[Clara116]

@Terri38 How lovely how you put about those sweet guests with that sheer delight - thanks for that! What a joy when we see what gratefullness does to US. We can thank @Paul1255 for opening the door to it with this topic! such a pleasure to look on the good! Blessings, Clara

[Emily352]

@Paul1255

Life, my friend, is the art of encounters

All the travelers that I have hosted made my life better, in some way or another, but there is one from Canada that had an incredible impact on me and my way of thinking, and I‘m sure he does not even suspect.

He left an indelible mark inside me: without his smile I would not be able to see the world as I see it and live it now. We’re always gonna be friends: our intercontinental friendship fights the fears.

Dylan came to visit me in the cold December of 2011 and he was my guest for seven days. He came to see a concert at La Scala and took the time to enjoy the good things in Milan. Although in those days I got a pretty busy schedule, I had the opportunity to talk to him and get to know him.

I introduced Dylan to my friends and took him to visit the real Milan. There was something about him, I didn’t know why, that just felt special. I absorbed his positive spirit towards life every day. He possesses an iron will, but at the same time he’s a free spirit and has a good, sunny laugh.

He told me that a few years earlier was very overweight and got little money, which did not allow him to travel across his country. One day he made the decision to turn his dream into reality.

Now he has an athletic body, he designs sailboats and yachts, but above all he travels to see concerts all over the world. He’s happy.

Those were the darkest days of my life and he, with his stories and his vitality, gave me a large dose of energy and positivity. His words made me realize that hosting is the best way to travel, know and understand. He taught me how to open myself to diversity, to realize the value of having good experiences.

Since that day my house was full of smells from different countries, the whole house was filled up with stories, laughter and memories. Sometimes the faces of the neighbors hidden behind the windows come to mind. They couldn''t  understand. They couldn’t understand why eight people of five different nationalities could speak three different languages ​​at the same time, all sharing the same dinner. My neighbors thought I was crazy, I think it was one of the best crazy things I've ever experienced.

I had never met such a strong and cheerful person. I know it doesn’t seem possible to get to feel so much admiration for a guy you’ve known for a while, but it does happen. It is difficult to explain the feelings and the intensity of the bond that can be created in just a few days.

Dylan taught me how to take a hit  and move forward in life, to say "F@ck you" to the world once in a while. He taught me how to forget my personal tragedies, to stop caring about what I’m doing, to stop to complain, to be anxious, to be afraid, to suffer, to hope for a shortcut, to criticize everything, to split hairs, to wait a long time, to take tiny steps.

He galvanized me to make my own revolution. I learned from him not to worry about doing strange things, but to create my world and do not think that my world must conform to some world or a fixed idea. It can be whatever I want.

He made me wonder what I really want to do the most. After Dylan left Milan I kept thinking about this question and, on New Year's Day, I made a solemn pledge to myself I would make 2012 the best year of my life.

I adopted a four-legged friend that I found. I graduated and got a scholarship that led me to specialize in France where I experienced the most formative years of my life.

When I got that scholarship, I couldn’t believe I made it through. Fate decided to step in, but I realized that a positive attitude had played a major role and that I had to use it in all aspects of my life.

I began to travel and my back got used to sleeping everywhere: floors, cushions, mats, airbeds, any place was good, the important thing was to meet people, exchange experiences, live in the moment well, appreciate the new in every situation.

In April 2016 I went to see Dylan in Canada. I traveled alone, but I never felt alone in any moment. In the end, hosting is like one big family of people who share one thing that is their house.

In my opinion, hosting isn’t just about the places you visit or the number of people you meet, it's mostly about the experiences you live that change you, no matter if they are big or small, at your house or elsewhere.

I wish one day I could help somebody out the way Dylan helped me.

Emily