Portable Hospitality

Hospitality is about being a good guest and a good host. I open my home to others, and they will one day to me. In either case, I am gracious and thankful. Sometimes hospitality is not in my home, sometimes it is portable.

Recently, I  learned of a situation with an acquaintance when they were in need, on several fronts. I will not get into the specifics of the situation, but this person, this friend, required assistance. I happened to learn of the situation through a casual conversation with other acquaintances and when I put two and two together, I realised that something must be done.

Need is the key to hospitality

Hospitality is a funny thing. It is one thing if someone comes to our door, and another if we happen to another’s, but sometimes we must arrive as a host when a visitor is expected. Need is the key to hospitality. Hospitality is our greatest virtue.

In situations where we intervene, it is often because there is a need to act now. Usually, the time for waiting is long overdue. In this case, action was required. In the case of portable hospitality, where one brings hospitality to another, permission is often needed. One can believe that action is needed, but to barge in where one is truly not wanted would defeat the purpose of hospitality.

In this case, I reached out through channels to see if I could help. Thankfully, it was. Once I had approval, I arranged for an intermediary to assist with what was needed. The next day, the situation was resolved.

If you can help, do so

I was fortunate that I was able to help. As a rule of thumb, if you can help, do so. Sometimes, hospitality requires that we do something. Waiting for someone to come to your proverbial door is adequate, but incomplete.

I once attended a workshop by Rev, Kirk Thomas that talked about Circles of Influence around us. Kirk detailed how there are various circles, beginning with us, that extended outwards embracing larger groups of individuals. I would like to extend that paradigm further.

Circles of hospitality

I feel that as sentient and caring individuals (we are caring, are we not?), that our circle of hospitality must extend further than our own doorway. Yes, that is the threshold of the first level of our hospitality, but must it end here? Can it not extend any further?

When we extend our portable hospitality past our door, past our insular world, can we not include a multiplicity of creatures and spirits in the ever-expanding circles? Humans are often in need, but so are many of the creatures in the natural world along with us. These entities really are our nature-kin.

The broader world

They cannot ask us directly for help. They can only make themselves known and we must extend our perception to their level. We must not just see what we expect to see, but we must also see what they know to be the case for themselves. This extends into a further circle, into the broader world.

The world may be our backyard, but that backyard is an exceedingly small space in our broader world. Need exists everywhere and we must rise to the occasion and take our hospitality there. When we close our front door, we close the world off with it.

Open that door again

Open that door again and look past your immediate boundaries. Look past the insular border of your own comfort and see the needs of others. It may be food for a hungry neighbor. It may be prayers for plants, animals, and other humans who need their own particular care.

Take your hospitality with you and use it as a key to help others. If the key does not fit the lock, use it as a knocker. Knock on their door and offer to be the good host, from the other side of hospitality.