Trust

I find it helpful to take a road trip every now and then. I am so fortunate that I have the time and the means to do this. I am grateful that I have friends that say, "Come see us. Stay a few days. You are always welcome." On Election Day 2012 I packed, voted, and headed south. I decided to trust my iPhone Map App to get me to my destination. Now call me crazy, but for comparison, I also had my old faithful Garmin Girl with me. She talks to me and we have traveled together for four years. She has taken me on some interesting side roads for which I was often reminded of the value of an old fashioned road map. How surprised I was when suddenly I realized that my iPhone had her own Girl and she, too, was talking to me!  Trust me, I do not know how she got into my phone. I have used the phone often to find directions from here to there, but it never talked to me before! I am still wondering what I touched to make this happen? Beats the heck out of me and because of this uncertainty  I am not sure I can trust it to do it every time. However, it did direct me to my good friends, Bonnie and Doug, in North Carolina this time.

Trust: *
1a : assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something
b: one in which confidence is placed
2 a: dependence on something future or contingent: hope
b: reliance on future payment for property (as merchandise) delivered

* defined by my Merriam-Webster app

On my road trip I had an unexpected trust placed in me by a complete stranger.  Her name was Pat and she is an artist who works with clay. She was selling her creations at a Pottery Fair in North Carolina. She had a necklace I took a fancy to for some reason. She accepted only cash or a personal check. I was low on cash that day (there was  no 'free' debit ATM in the immediate vicinity and I simply refuse to pay to get my money out of a machine) and I had no checks with me. I thought well I guess this necklace is not supposed to be mine. Pat simply said, "Take it. Send me a check when you get home." Then she wrote her personal address on her business card and handed it to me. What a refreshing offer! A complete stranger trusted me. It got me to thinking about integrity and being a person of your word - a core value instilled in me by my parents.  "A man is only as good a his word," Dad used to say. A woman, too, Dad!

"Respect is a two way street," my son told me once when we were discussing the challenges of single parenting and teenage trust. I certainly agreed. Establishing trust between two (or more people) is one of the amazing gifts we can offer each other in this world. Establishing trust between teacher and student is critical for teaching and learning. Sometimes one just has to extend it to receive it. Sharing trust is so empowering. I am thinking about how awesome it would be if all teachers trusted all students, all students trusted all teachers, all teachers trusted each other, and last, but not least - all students trusted each other. How is that for idealism?

I mailed Pat my check today. Thank you, Pat, for extending trust to a stranger. You reminded me of the value in trust. I'm enjoying my new necklace. I am not sure I trust either of my GPS systems. I'll keep exploring the wonder of technology and keep a map in my vehicle.