Hospitality Stinks

Hospitality stinks…quite literally when you’re offering it to a group of hikers. I mean they REALLY stink! Indeed for an entire week, I not only hauled my smelly husband and his smelly gear from trailhead to trailhead, but also 3 other smelly hikers and their smelly gear. The stench was unimaginable. Who would want to offer them rides?

It brought me back to the days when I would walk past the high school football locker room. The only way to survive was to plug your nose and run as quickly as possible past the doors. I was also reminded of the men’s laundry room in the residence hall where I work when hockey team members decided to store their sweaty gear there for the winter. I was able to solve that problem as quickly as possible by having the “higher ups” find an alternative storage room. But what do you do when you’re stuck in a tiny Honda civic with four other hikers after they’ve been hiking and sweating all day?! I didn’t think you had any ideas.

Hospitality isn’t always easy which is perhaps why in 1 Peter 4:9, we are called to offer hospitality without grumbling. There were times when I would have to grin, plug my nose, and bear it even though deep down I was grumbling. But it wasn’t all foul. As the week went on, the hikers shared stories and opened up their lives. Getting to know Shenanigans, Goldilocks, and Havoc was a delight. We laughed, we cried, we cheered one another on. We shared meals, campsites, and even a tiny hotel room for a couple of nights. With their generosity, I was able to hike a few days with Jon. We’ve become friends. So while Jon and I were able to offer hospitality on wheels, they offered so much more in return. I hope our time together was just as much a blessing to them as it was to us.

Take the reverse. Jon and I have been offered hospitality on the trail. Last week, a family friend of Jon’s parents from Massachusetts hauled his camper to a nearby campground and we stayed with him for two nights. He offered us generous hospitality out of the kindness of his own heart. This past weekend, some friends of ours from Albany, NY joined us for a day hike and afterwards allowed us to stay at their home for a couple of nights. Let me tell you, when spending your days on the trail, it is such a treat to sleep on a real bed in an air conditioned house! We have been blessed by others’ hospitality.

Even when it stinks, hospitality is always worth it in the end!