There are a lot of people that think you can't have fun unless you are in some huge city with loads of buildings and attractions. I say sure, cities are fun to visit, but living there just isn't for me. I love small towns. The slower pace, the friendly faces, the little shops just bursting with treasures waiting to be discovered...I love it all! The town I live in is even better because we are in the middle of a bustling center for fruit farms, and summer is the perfect time to enjoy it. There are tons of places to buy locally grown fruit and vegetables, and anything that can be made with said fruit and vegetables! Well, today I was taking one of my 'round-the-town walks and came upon this happy little table full of locally grown fruit!
It wasn't even a whole block from our house! I could smell the peaches and apples before I could even read the signs. I love that. Now, you would think there was someone manning a table like this. Why, no one just leaves produce (or anything else for that matter!) out without supervision unless they feel like giving it away for free or getting robbed...right? Well, these people did. All this beautiful fruit was just there to choose from and a little jar was set up for shoppers to honestly leave the money for what they buy. Since I was exercising, all I had was my phone...so no yummy fruit for me, but I stopped for pictures!
I just love the fact that I live in a little town where someone can set up a fruit stand in their front yard with a money jar and just leave it there. All day. Unsupervised. The romantic in me loves that...but my practical side was screaming "What in the world are you thinking! People aren't this honest! They will rob you blind!"
But you know something? The stand was still there, fruit, money and all, when I came back by an hour later. There was even a quart of peaches missing and a few dollars in the jar. And that's when I learned a lesson. I need to be the trusting person I always have been...jaded though I may be. Even coming from our last neighborhood where anything and everything you left outside could be plundered, I still want to believe that most people are genuinely good. There are still other people in the world that believe that too, and that makes my heart smile.
Not that I needed one, but my lesson today made me love peaches even more. (Yes, only by association, but hey, I'm a visual person! What more did you expect?!) From now on, no matter when I see apples and peaches, I am always going to remember that little fruit stand a few houses down from mine...and smile.
I love that story. I have to agree with you Melissa, because those were some of my exact same thoughts when we first moved to PA. There are so many small towns, and all full of trusting and honest people who do just as you described. We are close to Lancaster, so there are a ton of little stands and little jars of money with no one there, just an individual left with their integrity and box of fruit or veggies.
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