Strawberry Farm

Today while driving near home I came across a local strawberry farm. An open everyday sign caught my eye and hungry for farm fresh strawberries I turned in. Just off the road was an unmanned fruit stand with fresh picked strawberries neatly sitting in little green strawberry baskets and bright white boxes. A cash box with a slit in the top and price list sat next to the berries and a hand scrawled sign above the berries read, if the correct change did not exist to take the berries and return with the correct amount. I selected my berries and not having the exact change left to make change. Returning later with the correct change, I went to slip the money through the slot and noticed the box was unlocked and one was to make their own change directly from the cash box.

After quite a number of years in the greater Los Angeles area where it is said that one has not really lived until they have had something stolen, for me that was a car and a bicycle, to find an unmanned fruit stand with a slot for cash would be considered crazy and then to actually discover cash in an unlocked box, well, there would not be any cash. This trust, kindness and generosity toward the community from this strawberry farm softened my southern California hardened heart and I will become a loyal customer.

Both the experience and the strawberries have been refreshing and brightened my day. I am so happy to live here.