The Gas Station That Runs on Trust

This past Thursday I was driving north in Maine for some solo time in the woods. I needed gas before the road turned rural. I found a little station a quarter mile off the main road, cheaper than everywhere else.

Inside, the woman told me to fill up first and come pay after. The pumps are always on. Just trust. Just the honor system. I don't think I've ever experienced that.

At the pumps, an older man and I got to talking. I told him I love businesses that still run on trust. The farm stands. The corn box. The eggs people leave at the end of their driveways. He agreed, and we both drove off a little lighter.

Then I paid, and the woman told me they keep their prices low on purpose. Just to help people out. That stayed with me. A half mile up the road, there's a WIC center for families who can't always afford food. And a chain station nearby was charging 41 cents more a gallon.

That little station is what I'd call community-ism. An active choice to center community, not capital. Treating people the way you'd want to be treated.

I've been sitting with what that means as I think about building a small real estate portfolio. I don't want to rent a place I wouldn't live in myself. I don't even like the word landlord. Lord means power over others. I'd rather think of myself as a steward. Someone who cares for a place on behalf of the people in it.

Read the full piece on Substack.

Learn more about the adventure at www.heart-strong.org