Week four. We are four weeks in, and if the first week taught us that growth doesn’t knock politely, week four taught us that neither do the strangers. Or the dogs. Or the men trying to recruit us into the automotive industry.
But let’s start from the beginning.
Life on Turf: People, Surprises, and the Full Spectrum of Dogs
There’s something that happens after a few weeks on the turf — you stop being surprised that people are surprising. You tell yourself you expect the unexpected, right up until a man gets dragged past you down a residential street by a dog the size of a small car, and you realize that no, actually, you were not prepared for that. Michael stood there, watched it happen, and moved on — because at this point in the summer, that’s just a Tuesday.
What made it better was what came later: the smallest dog any of us have ever seen. Confident. Unbothered. Living its best life. He thought about both dogs for a while. Somewhere between those two animals is probably a decent metaphor for this summer, though we haven’t quite worked out what it is yet. Michael also spotted two gorgeous vintage cars — a Buick and a Chevelle — parked at the curb like they’d driven in from another decade. On a day like that, you take the beauty where you find it.
The Bag, the House, and the Walk of Mild Shame
Parvin had a solid interaction at a house this week, said his goodbyes, and walked away with the confident stride of someone who had just nailed it. He got halfway down the block before realizing his book bag was still inside — the family had taken it in. Which meant turning around, walking back up the same driveway, and knocking the same door to ask for his own bag back. The family was gracious. Parvin was humble. The bag was retrieved. We have been informed this will never happen again, and we have chosen to believe him.
Hugs, Beards, and a Career Pivot Nobody Asked For
Matthias, meanwhile, was having what can only be described as a variety show of a day. It started with a Ukrainian woman opening her door and, before he had much of a chance to say anything, pulling him into a real hug. The kind that comes from genuine warmth, from someone who perhaps recognized something in the face of a young person far from home, still showing up, still knocking. He said it was one of those moments that just stays with you, and we believe him completely.
Later, a man offered him a job at a car dealership on the spot — no interview, no process, just a sincere offer extended on a residential doorstep in South Dakota. Matthias said no, though the alternate timeline where he said yes has kept us entertained for days. And then, as if the day needed one final chapter, he met a man with the biggest beard any of us have ever seen. Not big in a casual way. Big in a way that suggests a decision was made years ago and has never once been reconsidered. There’s something almost inspiring about that, if you think about it long enough.
The Gifts That Keep Coming
And then there is Liisa. We have to talk about Liisa, because at this point it would be irresponsible not to. Week after week, at door after door, something happens that simply does not happen for the rest of us. This week, a family gave her a fancy water bottle. A good one. Unprompted, unearned in any technical sense, just offered — because apparently that is what Americans do when Liisa shows up at their door.
The rest of the team is out here running every technique we know, and Liisa is out here being gifted quality hydration equipment by strangers who met her four minutes ago. We have stopped trying to explain it. We have accepted it as one of the fixed truths of this summer, like the heat, and the long drives, and the fact that Parvin will probably leave something behind at least one more time before August.
Sunday at the Falls
Every week needs a moment where you step away from the doors and just breathe, and this week that moment came on Sunday at Falls Park. Sioux Falls, as it turns out, is named after something genuinely worth naming a city after. The waterfall sits right in the middle of the park, loud and completely unbothered by everything around it — the kind of thing that makes you stop mid-sentence and just look.
What It’s Really About
What week four gave us, more than anything, was a reminder that this summer keeps feeling bigger than it looked on paper. We came here thinking the job was about what happens at the door. Turns out the door is just the beginning — it’s everything behind it that matters. A hug you didn’t see coming. A bag retrieved with a smile. A man and his dog going somewhere urgent. A water bottle handed over for no reason other than kindness. And a waterfall on a Sunday afternoon, reminding you that some things are just beautiful, simply and completely, without needing to mean anything more than that.
The books are the reason we knock. The people — and the occasional waterfall — are the reason we remember.
By the Numbers
Behind the retrieved book bags, the enormous beards, and the mysterious gift-giving tendencies of the American public, there is an unyielding mountain of hard work. A few strange encounters on the turf have never once stopped Team 7UP from putting in the numbers — and this week was no different.
Here is exactly how the raw data from Week 4 shook out compared to our cumulative, all-time stats so far:
| Metric | Last Week |
| Doors Knocked | 4 409 |
| Calls Made | 1 953 |
| Demos Done | 1 284 |
| Sitdowns | 479 |
Let’s keep growing
Week five is already here. The doors are already waiting. Somewhere out there is another Ukrainian woman, another man with a beard, another family who is going to hand Liisa something wonderful for no reason, and another dog — large or small, we genuinely cannot predict — who is going to make someone’s afternoon very interesting.
We wouldn’t have it any other way. Here’s to week five, and to Team 7UP, still standing. 🚪✨
— Team 7UP
SW Eesti 