Amie Slott

I was driving home from a day at the lake and saw a roadside stand next to a farm. I pulled into the farmhouse driveway and walked up to a table table piled high with what looked like the juiciest the freshest watermelon, musk melon I could have ever imagined.

But no one was outside to take my money. I walked around the table picking out which melons I was going to take home and spotted a small black box with a hand written sign “Honor System. Leave your money in the box, Make change if you need it”.

I cracked open the box just enough to slip some cash inside, loaded the melons in my car and stood there for a second as the side door of the house creaked open. The young farmer walked out to the table with a bowl of I’m guessing was his dinner.

“I put my money in the box,” I told him nodding toward the table.

“That’s what it’s there for! Enjoy the melon!” He smiled back as I walked to the car.

That’s it. He didn’t ask how much I left or what I had purchased.  Just sat down to finish his dinner.

I thought about that encounter all the way home. It demonstrates a Midwest value that some in my professional circles couldn’t imagine, and it’s a value that deeply shapes who I am. The Honor System is more than just trust it’s faith that the people around you will honor their commitments, and your neighbors have faith that you will honor yours.

The Honor System is the intersection of trust, faith, and integrity.