'We Were Just Passing Through': Houseguest Horror Stories -- and a Few Happy Surprises

Ben and Erika left to catch their train. Juniper and Kristin fell asleep on the couch that had been vacated only an hour before.

Being a host has its inconveniences. But its rewards are greater than its demands. The almost daily possibility that someone might stop by in need of a place to spend the night made me more flexible and less uptight. It was good for me, and I miss the feeling of anticipating the unexpected.

Elizabeth Roen

Washington

Ways guests made us swoon with gratitude (during the three years we lived in the Netherlands):

· They asked what we missed from home and brought some along.

· Pitched in to the grocery fund, knowing we hosted dozens of guests a year.

· Took us out to dinner once during their stay.

· Surprised us with a bottle of wine or some flowers.

· Went off for full days on their own so we could catch up on our lives.

· Knowing we were short a bed, arrived with a self-inflating air mattress with its own sheets in a handy carry-case, and left it for us as a housewarming present.

· Adjusted to the work/sleep/shower schedule we had to live with.

· Said thanks -- early, often and again when they returned home.

Ruth van Baak Griffioen

Williamsburg