On outstaying welcomes

A number of months ago I was party to a conversation about entertaining a houseguest for up to a week on their return from foreign travels. Being the charitable individual I am, I volunteered to play host for "around three days".

Fast forward four weeks and I started to wonder at what point a welcome is overstayed.

Open Discussion

Due to the nature of the friendship the overstayed welcome was discussed and the unavoidable predicament of having to reside with me whilst searching for their own place made it easier to extend my welcome rather than rescind it. A welcome, we found, is variable to cirucmstance and not a set value.

Trading Welcome

Perhaps welcomes are comparable to karma and could be a tradeable commodity. With Ⱳ being my new international symbol for welcome, I feel there could be an excellent system, albeit honour bound and based, for people to track their welcome (Ⱳ) and ensure they do not overstay it.  Welcome (Ⱳ) may be curried by enduring someone overstaying their welcome and lost by overstaying yourself. I might even allow the ability to incur welcome (Ⱳ) debt provided it is paid off promptly.

With this in mind I can only imagine how much of a welcome (Ⱳ) millionaire I am right now.

Welcome Repaid

With an incurred welcome (Ⱳ) debt subsequent to moving out, my venerable houseguest has accepted his fate and offered me indefinate stay at his current place of residence should I require it. I feel the most appropriate course of action is to incrementally spend my welcome (Ⱳ) until he and I are square, repaid, all debts settled.