making stickers for new friends
let’s stick together
One of my most valuable life lessons came right at the start of my time as a solo car camper when a stranger approached me and invited me to a group campfire on the condition that I bring something to contribute. Having expected to spend the night avoiding others and eating alone, I was hesitant, but this ‘yes’ became a doorway to incredible adventures and set the tone for the rest of my tenure as a long-term traveler.
The big lesson here is bringing something positive to the function. Firewood, water, lights, tea, music, good vibes - whatever you have that you can share is a worthy contribution. The gathering, the offering, the sum of our parts, is worth much more than the item itself. Connections form with contribution. I would rather give you my popcorn, chat over hand-fulls, know that we’re both full and happy and experiencing this time together, than save it for myself while I’m sitting alone. If you’re looking to make friends and good memories, come openly and bearing gifts.
My sticker gifts are extensions of these practices and lessons. After seeing how excited it made my friends when I took a beloved joke and made it into a physical reminder for us, it sparked the idea that I can always be prepared to give new friends a memento of our time together. I hope to leave my new friends, even if we never see or speak again (as is the way with many transient friendships) with a reminder of times they were open, gracious, and adventurous. As a bona fide member of the stickers on water bottles collective, it was humbling when my little guys were given places of prominence on bottles, journals, and laptops.
Since then, I’ve given out 100+ stickers. They’ve made it onto luggage, instruments, day planners, and road signs. They reside in the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, Chile, Argentina, and England, not to mention a myriad of U.S. states. You might find one on a street sign in a small town or a “Welcome to x” marker at the end of a long road trip.
Chances are though, you won’t find one at all. It’s not a movement or a message; it’s just a reminder that we lived this life together, I am glad to have met you, and I wish you well.
