Game Changers - Life changing experiences

Ever wondered how some people get feelings of increased appreciation looking back at some of their significant live's experiences? Experiences which turned out to be game changers like the one you may be thinking of. Sooner or later, you’re going to be able to look back on this and laugh about it even if it was challenging at the time. Especially the beliefs around it!

Some of my adventure experiences were intense , even life threatening and yet, I became so much wiser in the process.
You may or may not have noticed how your own beliefs recently have changed about something that you thought was important. But this one may have made a huge difference in your life if you can see how to make the most of it.

Some people may call me an adventurer and from an early age I learned to become street smart. Becoming street smart is a set of learnings experiences where you have to deal with what is ...especially when you don't really like it and you simply have to handle it.

It was back in the eighties when I had been travelling by bus thru Baja California. There came a time where I ended up in a godforsaken dusty desert village with a tiny scruffy bus depot with few travel options. I had to make a decision whether to continue travelling towards Mexico city and onwards or to go back and explore the States. With the sun setting I went outside and closed my eyes waiting for guidance.

letting the gods throw dice

The inner voice I heard was loud and clear: "If you continue travelling thru Latin America you will have a lot of fun. The States will be more challenging for you...however... you will have major growth and character building experiences. You decide. "

Well, it did not take long to decide ...somehow it felt as the decision on another level already had been made. It seemed to be like a choice, yet in another way it did not. I just followed a path I knew I had to take. The over night bus back to Los Angels already was on its way.

This trip was an experiment, an real adventure giving up the need to know. I was willing to be pleasantly surprised and completely surrender to the "Here & Now" to see what happens, featuring moment by moment decisions of where to go ...or not. I decided on having no real plans and to hitch hike my way thru the US as an adventure.

keeping my mouth shut

After a good nights sleep I left LA early the next day as I did not feel like staying in the big smoke. Heading for the highway it did not take long to catch a ride. The driver turned out to be a newborn Christian cowboy, a real missionary in fact. He was friendly enough , yet very intensely focussed on making me see the light so I'd be saved. Mostly his monologues were kind of repetitive yet full of passion and I got the distinct impression that he was actually trying to convince himself of the rightness of his believes. What to do? Keeping my mouth shut for most of the ride seemed to be the best option , leaving him to his sermons.

After a few hours in the driving church of ‘redemption’, my head was spinning and I was gasping for air. "Get me outa here!" my spirit demanded. In the spirit of the moment the decision was made to head for San Diego and I asked him to stop at the next intersection.

Can you really enjoy choosing to be free giving up control and let the river guide you?

So here I was.. right in the desert, at an intensely hot and dusty intersection in the middle of nowhere. Ahead the long road leading to San Diego, the asphalt glistening in the intense heat of the midday sun. Looking around I had a sense that this was not going to be easy ride to get my sorry ass out of there. Cars were few and in no hurry to stop for a lonesome hitchhiker.

Rather than waiting I decided to walk on in order to manage my rising frustration. Eventually I came to a half build, abandoned bridge in the middle of nowhere…a relict of some failed infrastructure planning having gone wrong badly. I had reached a point of utter exhaustion filled with some anguish of not scoring a lift...at the same time noticing many rude fingers pointed at me by the drivers passing by. At that time my internal dialogue increasingly had become somewhat not amused.

approaching the "Oh No zone"

Chasing away an emerging foul mood swing I gave myself a little pep talk. "All right, how easy is it not to get all worked up and relax, but only as much as you allow yourself to...?!" I decided to seek some rest and shade under the memorial of the failed dream, the bridge to nowhere. The wind had picked up, blowing dust and sand everywhere. With a sense of surrender I sat down on the ground, and picked up my book... Jack Kerouac's "On the Road". (You may or may not remember ... a classic of it's time. )

Leaning against my backpack I started reading, avoiding looking at the few cars that were passing by, now and then. My attitude had gone into sheer defiance of what reality suggested. Hence I simply kept raising my thumb whenever the sound of a vehicles was approaching, yet resisting my temptation to look up. Looking back I'd say it was my way of dealing with being shown rude fingers...

" Ok, let's try a new game...surrender to what is, act as if nothing really matters and play it supercool" … well, so I thought at least.

Eventually I could hear the sound of a hoarse sounding car engine slowly approaching and much to my surprise it stopped right next to me.

“ Yeahhhhh! Ok, let’s see what we got…” I was determined to keep playing it supercool.

Deliverance on wheels...

My hidden excitement was short lived. What I saw was less than impressive: an old, rusty bomb on wheels held together by some wires and rough metal patches that were crudely attached to the parts that were in danger falling off. The engine was blowing smoke and a glance inside the car revealed that it was packed to the rafters with all sorts of gross looking rubbish.

The appearance of the driver was noteworthy. He easily could have been the leading actor from the movie “Deliverance”… kind of derelict, extremely scruffy and even smelly … never mind his breath! His few remaining rotting teeth would have been each dentist’s worst nightmare.

Ahem, ok...not really a super exciting ride to catch. What to do?

The heat of the day had peaked and looking around I saw the emergence of dark cloud banks forming over the mountains in the distance. To tell the truth... at that stage I was willing to take anything - just to get me out of that dusty hell hole.

The driver signalled to drop my backpack into the trunk and to get in. Our initial conversation was somewhat strenuous , as I hardly could understand anything of what he was muttering through his rotting teeth. Exhausted and tired I was not inclined to make an extra effort. A few miles down the almost empty highway we both resigned trying to make conversation and continued driving in silence… which was actually fine with me.

Looking out of the window I could see how the desert storm clouds were gathering momentum. The atmosphere became rather gloomy all of a sudden. It was like an ominous sign for something big to happen.

You know how it is when your intuitive side is strong and attentive right now, and you are receiving signals almost everyone else will miss. I wouldn't tell you to pay close attention because you know how important that is.

Would I have known what was about to follow I would have thought twice taking this ride.

To be continued...

A big thanks to Pixabay for providing the photos and SamStonehill for Copa banner design