The foundation of every business transaction is trust. I hire a contractor because I trust they will do a quality job, even when the work is below ground or behind a wall, and I cannot see it. We trust a bank to take care of our money. We believe an insurance company will honor our legitimate claims. When we open a package, we take it for granted that the food inside was prepared safely. When trust diminishes, more accountability is required to complete a business transaction, and the price increases.

During my 65 years of life, it seems as if a large quantity of trust has eroded from our culture. I do not know who or what to blame; is it the 24-hour news cycle, social media, or just the diminished character of our people? I would love to hear your views on the topic.

The precious commodity of trust was formerly one of the great benefits of living in the country versus the city; one knew their neighbors, acted in ways that benefited the community, and the consequences for violating trust were instant. In the city, an element of mistrust shadows every interaction because of the lack of familiarity; however, apparently, “familiarity does breed contempt.”

A tidal wave of mistrust has hit rural America, and we are paying the price. In the last twelve years, I have spoken to several people who moved to the country out of urban settings to find peace, community, and the trust that big cities naturally lack, and they have been sorely disappointed. Many people have headed back to the asphalt jungle.

I can draw only one conclusion: rural America is paying a much larger price for this negative megatrend than our cities. Americans are losing their faith and trust in the traditional values of small-town America. Without trust in Bourbon County, one just as well conduct business in the big city where less is expected.

We cannot change this megatrend, but we can change ourselves. How do we re-establish trust? The answers are basic and traditional:

• Be a person of your word.
• When you make a mistake, apologize.
• When a person errs and tries to correct it, forgive.
• If you are offended, go to that person, not the phone or social media.
• Be proactive in looking for ways to build community.
• Expect less from others and more from yourself.
• When you conduct a business transaction, give excellent value.

Economic development depends on the precious commodity of trust. At the heart of Bourbon County REDI is the drive to build trust in all areas of the Bourbon County geography, the business community, and the public sector. Without trust, we will not succeed. We believe that together, we can make a difference.

Last week, we left off with me threatening to do bodily harm to my husband. Admittedly, this was not a godly move, but the thought crossed my mind after he, not the first time, caused trouble for us at the Mexican border when he forgot to bring the original car title to allow us to enter that country. Now we would have to drive back to Kansas to locate the document.

We were an hour north when I had a thought: we could call our daughter-in-law, Jenn, have her open our safe, find the car title and over-night it to us at some…soon-to-be-named, San Antonio hotel. Hubby also had a thought. Perhaps the title was hidden in the briefcase located on the back seat floor, the briefcase he had already checked but failed to look in his secret hiding spot. I drove for a moment in silence, desperately trying to conjure up a lovely thought.

I mean, Philippians 4:8 sounds so easy…until you are asked to apply it. “Is that your way of asking me to exit so you can re-check your briefcase?” “Probably can’t hurt.” Ten minutes later, we were back on the road, luckless in finding the title in Dave’s little hideaway.

It was 10:15 A.M., a Saturday morning. Jenn had asked her dad to do the safe-duty at our house, but when we realized the post office closed in 15 minutes, we knew there was no way this would work. It was then that Adam called. “Sit tight,” he said, “I might have a plan.” “Does ‘sit tight’ mean to keep driving toward Kansas, but slower than the Nascar-rate I now am using, or does it mean ‘visit the Alamo and stay put’?” I asked.

Adam explained that he had several soldiers at his ranch, they were leaving the next day, and one was driving through San Antonio; perhaps he could bring the title with him. We could just find a hotel and hang out instead of making the long drive home, only to turn around and head back to the border. Which is where we are at this writing.

Yesterday evening, we stopped at a local pizza restaurant near our hotel. Its front door boasted a scribbled sign: “We are short-handed. Please be kind to our employees who took the time to show up.” This was right up my alley, since my 2022 goal was to follow the Philippians verse and “think lovely thoughts.” I ordered their $5.00 pepperoni special but asked if black olives could be added. “Also, may I have some parmesan packets?” “No problem,” said the sweet young gal behind the register.

“That will be $10.19.” “Black olives cost $5.00?” I asked. “No. It’s the extra cheese you ordered.” “Oh, I don’t want extra cheese, just the Parmesan packets.” “Oh dear, I am so, so sorry. My mistake. So sorry.” “It’s no big deal.” “Okay, you owe me $9.19.”

I handed her a $20. She gave me $1, plus change. “Um,” I began, “I gave you a $20.” “Oh dear, I am so, so sorry. My mistake. So sorry.” (This was becoming a pattern.) “It’s no big deal,” I repeated. “Well, yea, it sort of is. I closed the register. That’s a problem.” Think lovely thoughts. Think lovely thoughts. Think lovely thoughts.

We have choices every day to dwell on positives and not negatives. God wants us focused on what is going right in our lives, not on things about which we can complain. Nowadays, people feel hopeless, and any time we can spread a little joy, a little positivity, we can model for them how to do the same. No matter what the cost.