Hikers are stinky, dirty, unkept, dress weird, and carry a smelly, sweaty backpack. We don’t fit in. But the towns along trail see more and more of us every year.

People’s day to day can be upturned by a flood of hikers for months at a time. Some enjoy the weird and become trail angels. Others don’t want anything to do with us… which is completely understandable.

Most hikers are thankful for any help, and move on quickly if someone seems irritated. Not wanting to step on any toes. But one hiker had a different relationship with town people along the trail. He flipped the most apathetic exchanges into positive experiences.

Salsa did it with three simple words.

I appreciate you.

He used these whenever someone helped him. Whether it was a taking a minute of their time for directions, waiting on his table, or letting him stay for a night, those three words were consistent.

But they didn’t just exist. He meant them.

When I let my brain auto-pilot, I view the person on the other side of an exchange as a transaction. “It’s your job to bring me the food” or “to scan my groceries”, or “answering this simple question will only take a minute of your time”.

A transaction instead of a human.

I appreciate you, brings forward the human. It reminds me to slow down, acknowledge this individual with thoughts, feelings, goals, and problems to overcome. It reminds me that their attention is valuable.

It’s easy to think you’re owed a level of service for simply existing or exchanging a few dollars. But why not take a minute to appreciate an individual’s time and effort. It may change their day and your own.

The Salsa is to be kind. Be genuine. Smile. Let people know their worth. Say those three words for both of you.