”You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.” – John Wooden

*** 

Meet Bruce.

On an off ramp in the north end of Scranton, I am waiting.  I am continuing my journey to New England today.  It is a decent hitchin’ spot.  There is plenty of shoulder, but the flow of cars is spotty.  After a half and hour, I am thinking of a back up plan… when Bruce pulls up.  

Off to the Job.

Three guys that have a few wrinkles on their faces, paint splatter on their t-shirts, and tosseled hair.  They aren’t headed to the office.  Reluctantly I ask them where they are headed.  I am figuring this is the car to turn down.  3 men… hmm….

But, despite appearances, I am getting a passable vibe from these guys.

“We are headed to Clark Summit.” This is only about 10 minutes away.  “But I can drop these guys off and take you out of town to get you a better spot.”

I plop my sack in the trunk and hop in the backseat next to Robert.  Off we go…

Trust my Gut.

Bruce buys houses, remodels them, and then either rents them or sells them.  Bruce drives fast and stops fast.  We drop off the other two guys at their house and go to Lowe’s to grab a trowel for their job.  They are laying tile today.  

I Love Drinking.

Bruce picked me up because he once was a hitchhiker.  Bruce and his dog, Blue Christmas, hitched around the USA for about 5 years.  

“I was wino,” hearty laugh; Bruce smiles a lot, “I sniffed glue, I used crank, meth…”  A Joyce Meyer cd plays on the radio.

Bruce ate out of dumpsters, drank a lot, slept where he could.  He tells me a lot of stories as we drive.

 

Cleaning it up.

“Have a nice day,” he laughs as we tromp through Lowe’s in search of a trowel, “unless you have made other plans.” Hah!  Bruce has a good sense of humor.  He is a devout Christian now.  He believes in Alcoholics Anonymous.  He is married to a woman he loves.  He doesn’t pass a hitchhiker without picking them up.  He seems to feel very grateful for the good he has in Life.  He has worked for the Ronald McDonald House and he employs other AA members whom need help.  

Where to see.

I ask Bruce’s thoughts on where to see in the USA.  “The Northeast is beautiful.”  Bruce recommends I hit Oregon, Montana, Wyoming.  ”Big Sur is one of the most beautiful places.”  He would spend the winters in San Diego.

Oneonta, NY.

We pass Binghamton, which is about 50 miles north of Scranton and continue north.  The mountains are beautiful as we drive and Bruce tells me about a small town called Oneonta, NY.  He grew up around here and would spend a lot of time in Oneonta, which is a college town.  He drank there.  This is where he decides to drop me off.

Gyros and Gifts.

Before he drops me off, Bruce insists on lunch and we grab a bite at the local Greek restaurant.  Gyro and fries!

I am feeling very grateful for our talks, the ride, and lunch, when Bruce surprises me by saying he has to get back on the road and drops a 100$ bill on the table for our lunch and tells me to keep the change.

WHAT!

Before it really sets in, he is out the door and off…

***

Grateful & blessed, I feel that Bruce has laid down a challenge.  

How I can reciprocate this gift to others, with limited financial resources?

Create Our World.

Ben

“The best portion of a good man’s life – his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.”  ~William Wordsworth

 

 

 

 

 

Tags: adventure travel blog, Benjamin Jenks, create our world, hitchhiking, Kindness of strangers, Oneonta New York, roadtrip around the USA
Categories: Hitchin Stories., People.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 18th, 2009 at 5:00 am and is filed under Hitchin Stories., People.. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.