Wow

All break I've been hearing about my dad's hippie shoe salesmen friends that were coming to visit, but I didn't really understand what my parents were talking about until tonight. My dad somehow came to know a group of Vagabonds, or people that tour the country selling TOMS Shoes, and he offered them our couches for when their travels brought them to Buffalo. They're very nice, and not actual hippies. They arrived this evening, and it turns out they're about my age, and not old the way I had pictured them. Hippies to me suggests old, but they're roughly college-aged. It was a little awkward at first, the boy is very handsome and scruffy, and the girls are super cool, so I felt shy. My parents kept trying to drag me into the conversation too, which made things even harder. I loosened up over pizza though, and the next thing I knew I was in their sweet TOMS van, on my way to Niagara Falls. I've been kind of lonely this break, so the Vagabonds were something of a Godsend. We got lost on the way, even with their Aussie-voiced GPS, but it was fun. It wasn't too cold at the Falls, and they had never been there before, which was cool. We walked around and chatted, I mostly talked to K., but they were all really nice, and very interesting too. (K. opted to not go to college, but she is trained as a nurse, J. is a dancer, and got a call about dancing for Flo Rida while we were at the Falls, and D. is a triathelete, and knows all about Invisible Children.) We wandered around for a couple of hours, and then headed back into Buffalo. We were going to go to SPOT, but it was closed, so we just came back to the house. I'm a little jealous that they're touring the country, helping to get shoes for kids in developing nations. At the same time, it renewed my resolve to help make the world better. Every little bit helps, and what they are doing is inspiring. I was talking to my dad earlier this evening, before the Vagabonds came, about manners, and how it doesn't cost anything to be polite to people. I think helping people is along the same line, even if it is more extreme. If I am capable of helping though, I think I should do it. Even if it is hard, it's worth it.
I'm really glad I got to hang out with some people my own age. I like them too, and I think I did an ok job. It was nice spending time with people that are passionate about a cause, but who also appreciate adventure. I thought about trying it out myself, but I don't think I would like living in a van. They don't get any exercise, and I think that would bother me. I'm back on track though, which is big.