“Enter as strangers; leave as friends.”
CJ Oravec, a well-wishing advocate, finds that this quote follows him wherever he goes.
“I always knew it because it was printed on a little plaque that hung above the door of my childhood home. Whoever walked through the ‘revolving door’ as we called it was made to feel as if they were family.” Granted, he admits, it actually was family half the time, his grandparents and cousins from down the street wandering in to scour the fridge for last night’s leftovers.
Nevertheless, “The other half were friends, neighbors, friends and family of the neighbors, mailwomen and men, neighborhood kids, and pets roaming in the yard.” All are welcome in the Oravec home with open arms and an open heart.
“Believe me, if those walls could talk, they’d have stories,” he says.
The idea of “the door is always open” is a persistent theme amid his family circle. Even his extended family in other states abides by the same principle. “Food was always on the table, drinks were always made, and the invite was extended to everyone. Come in, sit for hours, and just see who wanders in.”
This message also defines the values of the Oravec family restaurant, and it’s painted on a piece of wood that was proudly presented to be seen by all who come to dine. The quote was lived out by CJ’s grandfather, who “deemed it true in almost every situation.” He strived to get to know every customer on a more personal level, regardless of if they were one-time visitors or weekly regulars.
“He touched the hearts of the lives of every individual he talked to. It’s because of him that my family and I live by this quote,” CJ explains.
Like the rest of his family, CJ makes an effort to live a positive and meaningful life.
“I live for the moments of bliss—of unaltered reality where life somehow feels altered.” It is in these moments that “life stands still.” For CJ, it is moments where “every single worry, care, stressor, obstacle, or deadline suddenly disappears into thin air.”
These moments tend to happen when CJ is surrounded by friends and family. Somehow, they always involve food. “Because you aren’t living life to the fullest if you aren’t eating the best damn food there is,” he adds.
“I could be sitting in the parking lot of a Target at 11:30 at night eating a bag of Sour Spaghetti with my best friend or on the beach playing a soccer game with some neighbors. It’s not where you are but who you’re with. I get the same joy in an empty parking lot as I do listening to crashing waves and seagulls. Cheesy, yes, but it’s true.”
It seems that CJ has uncovered a good bit about the importance of people and friendship in our lives—it is people that make us who we are. It is people that hold the power to shift the tides. It is people—people that surround us with light and love and beauty—that alter the course of any given moment in time. It is people we need—people who may have once been strangers before stepping into the doors of our hearts.
Still, CJ has much uncertainty regarding whether he’s living life the way he should be. “I want to know if I’m doing this right,” he states. “What is this, you might ask? It can really be anything, but mainly for me, it’s life.”
CJ knows this question is filled with ambiguity, but the wondering doesn’t abandon his thoughts, which are consumed by a myriad more questions.
“Did I make all the right decisions up until this point? The people I have met thus far, the people I’ve loved and lost—was I supposed to cross paths with them? Were these relationships meant to end the way they ended? Obviously, I have made some poor life judgments, and some people are no longer in my life for a reason. But was there a lesson learned to get me back on track? Did I do something that altered the course of my life (for better or for worse)? In high school, did I make the most of my education? Did I choose the right college? Did I capitalize on every opportunity given to me? Or is all of this for nothing, and I’m going to end up running a small bed and breakfast in Maine?”
His thoughts are ones we all face, permeating the quiet seconds of our lives, even if we don’t always reveal them.
CJ finally brings the questions back to their origin:
“So… am I doing this right?”
About CJ
Student, advocate, lover of cheese, thinker, believer that Billy Joel is God reincarnated, well-wisher, and foodie
Between the Lines 