celebrate kindness

One of my favorite places to visit in the summer is Pole Green Produce. I’ve been coming here for years, even since the days of my youth; I still remember my mom stopping at this small roadside stand to purchase locally grown white corn on the cob and fresh Hanover tomatoes. There’s something quaint and quintessential about a hometown farmer’s market.

Decades have passed and that small family-owned produce mart has, for the most part, stayed the same. Familiar faces, handwritten prices, even “old-fashioned” payments of cash and check only. As our community expanded and population boomed, the little stand shifted a few spaces to the left to make way for a corner gas station. Even an open-air shelter was built so patrons coud shop rain or shine. As you can see in the photo below, I’m not the only person who loves shopping at Pole Green Produce.

Many of you know that one of my hobbies includes making digital recipe guides. I started this a few years ago, mainly to document family recipes for my children; it was much easier for snap photos as I cooked versus handwriting a traditional recipe card. For my 200th Snapguide, I wanted to do something special, something reflective of my hometown, but I needed a few Hanover tomatoes to create my guide.

“Good afternoon! Lovely day isn’t it? A bit hot out there in the sun, but always cooler here in the shade.” A friendly smile welcomed me as I made my way through the wooden pallets stocked with summer fruits and vegetables. I approached the tomato bin and felt an overwhelming urge to bless someone else, too. Without missing a beat in my step, I grabbed a brown paper bag and turned right, away from the tomatoes, walking towards the checkout counter.

“Excuse me, do you have a pen I can borrow?” The cashier nodded and pointed to a metal canister, her attention focused on punching numbers into the antiquated cash register on the table. I grabbed a teal colored Sharpie and wrote out my RAK:

I put the money in the bag and made my way back to the tomatoes, leaving my RAK right there in the bin.

Who received my random act of kindness? I may never know, but that’s OK. It made me happy to bless someone else at my favorite roadside stand!

Best of all, I came home with some delicious Hanover tomatoes to make my recipe guide. It was a win-win!

As you make your way around town this week, look for opportunities to bless someone else. It doesn’t have to cost money; a simple smile and friendly hello can be enough to bring sunshine to a stranger’s day! Be the good, my friends!