Travel Richly by Couch Surfing

Have you always wanted to make friends around the world? I have. And so I joined the non-profit CouchSurfing site a couple of years ago. But only this summer did I surf my first couch: a truly enriching experience. Even if I never see my “host” again I feel like I’ve made a friend.

It’s not a mere “hotel substitute.” Their goal is as follows:

“CouchSurfing.com helps you make connections worldwide. You can use the network to meet people and then go and surf other members’ couches! When you surf a couch, you are a guest at someone’s house. They will provide you with some sort of accommodation, a penthouse apartment or maybe a back yard to pitch your tent in. Stays can be as short as a cup of coffee, a night or two, or even a few months or more. When you offer your couch, you have complete control of who visits.”

Feel Good Metrics

With the momentum of several years, Couch Surfing seems to be hitting the “mainstream,” and now I hear friends mention it all the time. Check out the good energy they’ve created:

CouchSurfers 697,357
Successful Surf or Host Experiences 606,243
Friendships Created 748,720
Positive Experiences 1,219,741
Countries Represented 232
Cities Represented 46,949

They focus on safety. A clever verification process uses credit card authentication to make sure your name matches your mailing address and credit card. (Do I need to add that you’re responsible for your own safety and to use intuition?)

Why Surf? Imagine the Potential Synchronicity

Whether you’re hosting or a couch surfer, you’re automatically going to have commonalities:

• You’re both curious about people from other cultures and the world.
• You’re adventurous and open.
• You seeking out friends and connections.

I don’t know about you, but just reading what I wrote made me all the more inspired to continue couch surfing and hosting on future travels.

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Lessons in Love, Money and Synchronicity

Today Ben Stein wrote an adorable article called Lessons in Love, by Way of Economics for the New York Times.

One point that he missed is: Sometimes it’s just a crapshoot and if you take the right gamble you could win—in love and money. Stocks or real estate in an area can go up for some fuzzy reason you might not have anticipated.

Got to be in the right place at the right time, as exemplified by a recent chat with an old friend:

G: I’m great…in the middle of wedding planning, which is actually fun to do.

Susie: YOUR wedding????

G: Yup. I’m totally in love, over the moon.

Susie: Wow. How did you meet again?

G: She actually came to a performance of one of my plays.
She was introduced to me afterward, but not told I was the playwright. She went on and on about how much she loved it, asking me if I felt the same way. I told her I’d really enjoyed it, then she went her own way. A few minutes later, someone told her I was the playwright, and she rushed back over…But that was all. A few months later, I ran into her at another theater — we’d both gone to see the same show — and we just didn’t want to stop talking. So we didn’t. I asked her to marry me in the first theater we met in. (I got the keys and snuck her in when it was closed.)

Get out the hankies….
G: And I feel like she loves me for who I am, not for some idea of who I’m supposed to be. Which is how I feel about her.

You’ve just got to keep your eyes, heart, and investment portfolio open in case the right thing comes along. Here’s hoping…

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True Stories of Synchronicity, Bakeries, and Talking to Strangers

It’s hard to imagine that twice in my life so far I’ve had the most bizarre, unexplainable kismet (fate) related to pastries, of all things. I share these tales to show what delightful synchronicity life can bring particularly when you talk to strangers. These are totally true:

Story 1: A Mother and Daughter Bakery-Based Reunion

A couple of days ago the lure of Tartine Bakery in San Francisco finally won me over. I stopped in for a croissant the moment they opened, knowing the butter would still be meltingly warm from the oven. The woman helping me asked if I wanted jam. The apricot did not particularly appeal, but after I commented that I wish I could have brought some great jam I had at home, she said by all means go get it.

The flaky abundant croissant fulfilled my food fantasies and I enjoyed every calorie, particularly with this Tayberry jam my sister had brought from Oregon. Immediately after my satisfying breakfast, I emailed my sister to tell her how I’d enjoyed pairing the jam with the croissant.

Yesterday she stopped by the maker of this jam at the farmer’s market in Oregon. While standing there she told her friend how I’d eaten this berry jam with a Tartine croissant. The jam maker commented:

My daughter makes the croissants at Tartine.

Just writing that gives me chills. Here almost 400 miles apart, I had rushed home to get this jam made by the mother of the person who made the croissant I ate it with. If you didn’t believe in some kind of universe before this, maybe you do.

Or perhaps you need to read this next story first.

Story 2: The Sticky Bun Susie Sought Out Comes to Susie

One day I visited my favorite coffee house in San Leandro, CA called Zocolo. All morning I’d thought about the pecan sticky bun I’d had there, made by an artisan bakery. They were out. Crestfallen, I ate a bagel instead.

The next morning I found myself at Peet’s Coffee in San Francisco. After reading each section of the newspaper I handed them to the three young women sitting next to me.

One of them said: “You’re so kind to offer these. What can I give you in return? How about advice? Do you like pastries?”

Our information exchange about the most succulent baked goods flew. She told me about a nearby French bakery known for the most buttery pastries ever. There’s this great cafe in San Leandro, I explained, with the most heavenly pecan sticky buns. It turned out her husband worked nearby and she made a note to send him to the cafe to get her a sample.

“My sister works for a bakery” she said, pointing to the girl next to me. I asked what it was called. “Raison d’Etre” she replied.

This was the bakery that makes the very sticky buns I’d craved the day before.

“I have one in the car I can give you” her sister said. And we walked down the street. She opened a cooler, unwrapped a foil ball, and before me presented the genuine article: the pecan sticky bun of my quest.

As I dove in, we shook our heads in amazement at this bizarre coincidence.

On Being a Connector and Synchronicity
I just read a quote by Wayne Dyer that connectors often experience synchronicity / coincidences and are used to it. While I’m known as a connector I never get used to things as highly improbably as those I described above. Is this The Secret’s proverbial Law of Attraction at work (attracting delicious pastries to me)?

I’d love to hear your wildest synchronicity stories!

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SuperViva Tip: Record Memorable Events (Not Just Goals)

One of my favorite ways to use SuperViva is to jot down private memories which appear on your list of things you’ve done. The kinds of things I record are:

• Friends or family I re-connected with.
• Things that made me feel good (like I gave directions in Spanish to someone who didn’t speak English)
• Dares I took, first-time experiences, and events that happened by synchronicity

Journaling is great but it’s nice to have important memories in a “line item” format too. Have you discovered any cool SuperViva features everyone should know about?

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