October 3rd, 2010: Conventional vs Unconventional Wisdom

Conventional wisdom dictates that one should not pick-up hitchhikers. In my experience, picking up hitchhikers can lead to some unconventional wisdom. This requires that one take some element of risk, but given my faith in my perceptive powers and intuition, it is one I am willing... to take. Besides, if I am wrong and the hitchhiker does happen to kill me, I won't have much time to bemoan my flawed logic. Anyway, last night on my way home from another volunteer visit to Farm Sanctuary in Orland, I saw a young man standing at the on-ramp with a guitar case, a knap-sack, and a sign asking for a ride. As was the case when I took a hitchhiker from Idaho to Denver, Colorado, I had a good feeling about this one. Since I didn't ask for permission to use his name, I won't. He was in his early twenties and has been riding the rails and traversing the country for the last three and a half years. He travels back and forth between various permaculture projects and has a severe case of wanderlust, as he chose to put it. It was interesting to hear him talk so matter-of-factly about a lifestyle that would be completely out of phase with how most of us live our lives. Now, obviously I cannot speak for him, but I felt like we had a lot in common with our respective world-views - and our choice in bandanas. It was interesting that I would run into someone like this out of the blue. My only accompaniment so far in this road trip, other than the longing to get to the Farm on the drive up, and my memories of the visit on the ride back, had been an audiobook of "Good to Great". This was not my favorite book when I first had to read it at my last company, and it was not my favorite now. Why was I reading it then, you may ask? That is a long story, but basically it is part of a joint learning program that we are cultivating with one of our vendors, and when we asked them to pick a book for us to read together, I forgot to explicitly state, "Any book except 'Good to Great'!" It is, unfortunately, a bit of a staple in spite of the fact that it is grossly repetitive and, frankly a little obvious to anyone who has paid attention in their professional lives.There was one thing that resonated with me this time around that hadn't registered last time. In the droning and repetitive narrative of the "hedgehog concept", there was a mention that one of the three aspects of this is recognizing what you are passionate about. I think that this resonated now because it reinforced something that has been rattling around in my mind for the last year. Basically, ever since I found myself at Farm Sanctuary, I have felt a passion for this cause. Quite selfishly, I volunteer there in order to feel plugged into that passion and to be surrounded by like minded people. I have a hard time feeling like I am giving much in this exchange since I personally believe I am the prime beneficiary of my visits. Until I find a way to do this as my life's calling, this is as close as I can get to feeling like I am on the path I am meant to follow.Back to my passenger, as we chatted for the three hours it took to get him to his destination (I am not the type of person who could drop him off short of where he was going and not wonder if he ever made it there, so I ended up taking a detour to West San Francisco), almost all of our discussion could be distilled down to an offshoot of this "hedgehog concept": 1) Do what you are passionate about and even if you don't succeed at it, you will not be burdened with the regret of never having tried and 2) It is never too late to heed the call.As I dropped him off near his friend's house, I had no question that this was an interlude that was meant for me at this point in my life. By following the subtle subconscious cues and picking him up when my mind/soul told me to, I had been able to build some more fortitude into my resolve. It was a classic give and take situation; I gave a ride to someone who needed it, and I received a much needed lesson. So, next time you see someone in need of assistance and find yourself looking for excuses not to, take a moment to ponder who really needs the help. It just might be you! (Disclaimer: While I will gladly take credit for any wonderful experiences you may have, I cannot be held liable for any not so great experiences you may have if your powers of intuition are not on par with mine)