In the early days of Youper, we had these little social challenges. Nothing extreme, just things meant to poke the shy parts of our personality. Wear mismatched shoes. Say hello to strangers. Ask for a ride. Tiny exercises in courage (or embarrassment, depending on the day).
I tried a few of them. And somewhere between curiosity and stupidity, I decided to try hitchhiking for real.
I still remember standing there on the side of the road, sun burning, arm tired, thumb out like an antenna searching for human kindness. Cars passed. People pretended not to see me. I pretended everything was fine.
But on day ten, someone finally stopped. A car pulled over, the window came down, and a friendly voice said something like, “Hop in, crazy guy.”
And just like that, I got my first carona solidária.
A tiny victory. A tiny lesson.
Sometimes, all you need is a smile, a thumbs-up, and the willingness to take some risks on the highway. 😛
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