Another posthumous road trip story that went unpublished nearly 5 months ago. I think I'm caught up now.
Throughout my travels, I've been very fortunate to have known and encountered many gracious people, people who I'm never sure I could show enough gratitude in return for what they did for me. Even the simplest of things seem great in hindsight.
I spent the 3rd night of my East Coast return trip in glorious Phoenix, Arizona, hanging out (briefly) with my friend Zane. The weather was beautiful, the beers were plentiful and many laughs were had. And even though he warned "You'll have to sleep on my floor," I was more than satisfied with that. I was also very grateful the next morning when I awoke to find coffee in the pot and knowing I had access to a shower. Thanks buddy.
It's strange what traveling great distances can do to skew your perception of time, because that was the last shower I took in what felt like forever. It was actually only 3 days, but in those 3 days, I hiked a couple miles around the rim of the Grand Canyon, explored a few towns on historic Route 66, got lost in the desert in New Mexico, pit stopped in Dallas to take an obnoxious photo of me flipping the bird to Cowboys fans and traversed almost 2,000 miles in parts of 5 states. The last day in particular felt like an eternity as I was driving through torrential downpours in Northern Texas and Louisiana. When it finally stopped raining, I was somewhere around Jackson, Mississippi and I noticed it was much, much warmer. I could actually open the windows! Exciting stuff! Anyway...
I stopped at a truck stop for the usual fare, but upon getting out of the car, I just felt...dirty. I know I've gone longer without showering or changing my clothes before, and I wasn't keen on the idea of having to pay for one, but for some reason that's all I could think about before doing anything else. So I walked in and had the following exchange with the attendant:
Me: "How much does it cost to rent a shower?"
Attendant: "It's $12."
Me: "Uhhh...man...is there a discount if I fill up? I need to buy gas too."
Attendant: "I'll tell you what: you look like you could really use a nice, hot shower. It's on me."
Me: "No, you don't have to do that."
Attendant: "Come on, take it. Merry Christmas."
Me: "Are you sure, sir?"
Attendant: "Yes. Man needs a shower, right? Man's gotta shower!"
Me: (a splurge of thankful remarks)
I know I labeled myself as a bit of a cheapskate. Hey, I was unemployed at the time... Aside from the attendant basically saying that I looked road-weary and disheveled, I couldn't have been happier. The shower itself was in better condition than the dorm showers I endured in my freshman year. Afterward, I felt infinitely better, ready to drive another 2,000 miles! OK, maybe not.
Yea...it's only a shower. But in all sincerity, at that time the simplest of generosity really did mean everything to me. I filled up my tank and as a token of appreciation, I tipped the attendant, and it still didn't feel like enough. So wherever you are, thank you for giving the smallest of gifts. You have no idea how energizing and refreshing that was to me.
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