First impressions/Canoa Intergration 13/09/11

After spending the best part of a day wondering aimlessly around the ghost like village of Canoa, I finally met Mike the motorcycle guy. A 50´something American, with a smile as big as his beer belly, came to sit at my table in the Surf Shak. He had road all the way down from San Francisco on his bike, when it finally gave up on him just outside of Canoa and so he decided to stay. I had seen him around, but his pungent aroma of beer made me somewhat wary of this unfamiliar character. Soon after we got talking I realised that whilst lost in my presumptions I had completely forgotten rule No 1. Never judge a book by its cover.
Let me take this moment to explain something to you. When one travels alone, they have an instinctive guard which is raised more so than when travelling with a friend. This is because both mind and body become aware that it has only the self to rely on and so protective instincts kick in. And so finding the balance between intuition and instinct becomes a continuous struggle. Being open enough to still meet people and enjoy yourself, but not so much that all common sense goes out the window.
. Mike had been in Canoa for the past three months and considering it size, his extensive knowledge of the place was understandable. We exchanged travel stories and somewhere along the line the subject of what day it was came up. When I informed him it was Tuesday I was greeted with the same reaction I´d expect from a child if I said it was Christmas.
"It´s Tuesday, are you serious? Awwww heck, I can´t believe it! It´s Tuesday! My retirement fund comes through today! Geez thanks Hayley. Thanks a lot."
Never before have I ever met someone so genuinely happy to hear it was Tuesday. As the evening progressed he introduced me to a few friendly faces in the community as if I was his daughter in need of looking after. When the night was through we shook hands and as I began my short walk home I reflected on the evenings happenings. Once again life had taught me something which I thought I had already learnt. And just as pawns on a chess board do not get to decide their next move we too cannot choose which lessons to learn. So this was my gentle reminder that first impressions are only lasting for those who don´t have the time of day.