Joy? Youthful naivete? Love? Experimentation? Stupidity?
For sure none of us - boy-men - could say we weren't warned! We were. Time and again! Those warnings fell on us like water upon a duck's back. So why these wide smiles? Or are these teardrops?
Let's check this out.
Two friends and I (buddies we were - really) - John-n-Will - pooled earnings, got a house we did not need, tossed the keys - swoosh - unretrievably gone - then opened our doors.
Very quickly word got around. A welcome mat. No question asked. Leave your shoes by the door. Make yourself at home. Rest as long as you need. If you need an ear or two or three. We're ready. No question asked! On your rebound, may blessed winds press you ever forward. You are always welcome here. Cheers.
And so it was: a respite for many over time, a non-stop flow. Fetched in stories. Fetched about warmth. Fetched out glow. A pillow for heavy heads - home away from home for any. This was not our home; we had homes. This was our open arms, our welcome; John's pride and joy - particularly - for he took care of most of the house's needs while Will and while I - well, that's another adventure story.
It really was just that simple.
Oh, the bliss of being unburdened! (I note upon reflection.) Wait-a-minute! Oh, darn! Why didn't WE think of creating AirBNB? Uh! Oh, well! Better luck next time. Do I hear someone saying better smarts?
Oh dear!
Life!
A myriad assortment of folks oten asked us back then how we came to be doing this, or why we were doing this, or what we got out of doing this, and we'd tell them, vairously, the story of how the three of us met which was then no more than a year prior (John and Will longer), or the story of where we came from, or about our adventures, and the like! No big deal. No agenda. No agenda. No agenda. Nope! No agenda. Why no agenda? Just no agenda! Oh, darn, we really could have been the founders of AirBNB! Oh, dear! No agenda. No agenda. No agenda. Of course, a series of events led to this awesome decision, but never mind those!
Yes, we heard the whispers: they are naive! Water off of ducks back.
Okay! We were naive! (And super grateful.)
There is something lost (I find); there is a sheen that is blotched (I find); yes, it spoils something genuinely sweet (I find) to tell our loved stories just for telling's sake.
You see, many of us were taught growing-up - weren't you - to not talk about well-doings - smacks of self-praising - uh - (and I sort-a cherish that learning), hmm, but not everyone is raised this way. And I CAN SEE THE STARK DIFFERENCE IN OUTCOMES! Trust me. Besides, there are those - shall I say pharisees and sadducees? No? (Evil loves silence.) Nevertheless, let's leave them be! So yes, I am working on evolving that cherished learning thing, for goodness sake. Who-ah! Not nearly as easy as it sounds.
There is, however, a sound reason I am sharing this story at this particular moment. Credit John! I find it apropos to the season and emblematic of the power of inner peace. Yes, there is a light too. An inspiration. A reminder. An uncovering. (And, also, well I'm trying desperately hard not to shout the word 'HYPOCRITES!' - forgive me! So lets leave that out. Breathe! So-so-so many times I write stories urged from the bowels of my being then delete them. Let's see if this one survives the delete button. Any bets?)
You see, a certain group not needing a place to stay or a pillow on which to lay their heads kept coming and coming and coming, kept pressing and pressing as to why, why, why, why three healthy and always-so-happy young men with so much demonstrable fun for life would be so giving and giving and giving, and why in this way, and why, why, why, why, and why not us join them? (I admit to a bit of hyperbole to my phrasing.) What strikes my memory most is how John eventually responded, which, come to think of it, is the actual 'organizational why' - only, we were too giddy with adventurous joy to think of organizing our mind around any why.
Let me paraphrase John's response to this group.
I repeat - I am paraphrasing!
Here it is:
They smacked the doors in Jesus face; he kept arms open - welcoming.
They smacked the doors in Jesus face; he kept welcoming - come on in.
They smacked the doors in Jesus face; he kept inviting - none exempted!
They smacked the doors in Jesus face; he kept arms open - welcoming.
They killed him! He kept arms open - anyone - everyone - none exempted.
Now they smack doors in Jesus name! Exemptions posted:
not all accepted!
We keep our doors open and arms extended - none rejected. For nothing!!
And that, just because we want to. We just want to. We just want to.
You see, John was a healthy, strong and stringy bloke. So were we. Not stringy though. John had a strong lovable flexible mind. Will also! Me? Oh, well! We can't all have the same thing, must we?
The aforementioned visitors could not fathom how it is that we (verile youths) could exist with no sense of guilt or shame, no fear of the future. We did not fathom why they found it so necessary to want to suffer, or why they were so at a loss at our settled peace, nor why they were so pressed to want to shatter it and dared to believe they could. They were always welcomed.
Rest assured: we are our stories!
A few months later my coach called. "Did John talk to you?" he asked. When I said not yet, he started laughing. What? "He will be calling you," he said unable to stop laughing. "Last night he visited the house. All the furniture is gone. The place is empty!" I was finding it hard to hold back my laughter when I asked him how John felt about that. And my coach said, "Like John always does. Now we have room for more people, he said."
I could not hold back my laughter.
We were a laughing bunch.
Less than a week later, John arrived and found all of the furniture back in the house, with additons.
No question asked!
John's response: "Now we have less space for more people!"
A few of the young men from that group, one by one, soon began hanging around with us; a joyous spirit - spreading.
We ARE our stories.
What's your story?
[ See ILICET - A Time To Begin Again ]
ILICET - A Time To Begin Again (True Story) 
