Four Ears

Driving by a roadside farm stand helped make me feel just a tiny bit better about humanity today.

My guess is that it is a Mennonite farm. I say this because there is sign visible along the road often reading a biblical or inspirational verse, and I see usually see a young lad manning the stand always dressed conservatively. If I'm not mistaken the stand as actually a cart.

I was in the mood to have some corn on the cob so pulled in. The cart was there but deserted. Among the neatly printed sign listing their prices was another that read "Self-Service" There was an attractive wooden box for customers to leave the money in.

Most of the day's corn was already gone. I opened my wallet and found that I had a twenty and two ones. Since the ears were fifty cents each, I decided to take four ears with my two dollars. I wanted more corn than that, but was hesitant to make change out of what was there. I just envisioned someone driving up, as I stick fourteen dollars into my pocket and them thinking I stole it. This is probably stupidity on my part, as I have no idea where such a phobia should come out of me, but it was enough to make me buy four ears instead of six.

What made me feel good was that the farmers were actually able to leave their cart out unattended and not have a problem with theft. I gave me a warm feeling to see that there cash box did indeed have money in it (and six dollars was also left out in the open under an ear of corn.

I use to have that felling of security where I live. That sense of community. That feeling is still there, but every day it seems less pronounced, as more people live here, self-absorbed in their own matters.

At least today, I was reminded of better things.