This post won’t be about a place so much as it will be about a turning point, or what feels like one at any rate. So much of what has happened here is deeply personal that it is difficult not to give in to the temptation to speculate how we will feel about our time in Kingston in the future.
In addition to the opportunity for me, at least, to reconnect with a friend, we continued our pattern of finding new and interesting people. Upon my return from Algonquin Provincial Park, Chris and I met Craig and Mistee, a couple who had moved in to the motel room next to ours for a day or two while taking a break from a long motorcycle trip through Ontario. We ended up spending a couple of days camping with them at the Loughborough Lake Campground just north of town.
There we spent a couple of late nights together talking, laughing (a lot), and generally having a great time. While we were the only ones in the tent section of the campground, we remain somewhat surprised those staying in trailers just below our adjoining campsites didn’t file a complaint regarding the noise on Monday night.
Zeus took to Craig and Mistee almost at once, even flirting at one point with the idea of going into their tent with Mistee. When Zeus takes to someone that way, it’s impossible not to conclude they are good people. We exchanged email addresses before parting, and though we’ve only known them for a few days, the opportunity to spend some time with them will likely be our fondest memory of our time here.
In all likelihood, we’ll never see again most of the people we’ve met so far, or those we have yet to meet on this journey, though Craig and Mistee have invited us to their home in London, Ontario. While this blog is something we willingly share with family, friends, or anyone who just happens to stumble across it on the web, it really is primarily a record of our experiences Chris and I can look back on in the future. Still, those we’ve encountered who took the time to help us out, offer some hospitality, or spend some time with us have us thinking a lot about being open to new friends, and the power and nature of relationships with others generally.
Encounters that cause us to try something new, develop into meaningful conversations, or see things from a new perspective can have a powerful effect, even if those involved never communicate again. When we allow prejudice or fear to filter people out until only those with a similar comfort zone remain, or define the terms of friendship narrowly, we shut the door on opportunities for growth and transformation. Everyone we meet, even if only briefly, changes our lives somehow, and you never know when that change may turn out to be huge.
But when we judge, insist people and relationships fit neatly into certain categories, and over analyze we limit our perspective and inhibit the potential for powerful relationships or experiences to emerge. At least at first blush, that’s what we’ve learned from our time in Kingston. This may seem a strange post for a travel blog, but then anyone can learn about the local points of interest simply by searching Google or buying a travel guide, and journeys should be about much more than just the scenery and tourist attractions.
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