By Vivian Conrad | Senior Center Director

Late Saturday night I headed to the parking lot after a local event, only to discover a slashed tire on my vehicle. The evening’s excitement deflated slightly, but I called roadside assistance and sat down to wait without too large a dent in my good spirits.

One of the facility’s employees came over to check on me. I appreciated her concern. The real problem developed when she phoned to report my situation to her boss. It was almost closing time, and the tow truck was still 20 minutes out. She was told that the parking lot gate had to be locked on schedule, and when she handed me her phone the owner said that I had to leave immediately whether my tire was fixed or not. I would just have to come back for the car in the morning.

Something similar happened to my husband a couple of weeks ago. His car died on the way home from work one night. Since he was passing a small business our daughter frequents, he steered the car into one of the store’s parking slots before it coasted to a stop.  

Our son-in-law braved cold rain the next morning to see if he could get the car started. He was grappling with the crippled engine when the store opened. Although an entire row of unoccupied spaces lined the front sidewalk, the owner insisted that Luke push the car away from the main building so that no potential customers would be inconvenienced.

To be fair, there are two sides to every story. Who knows what headaches had been plaguing those business owners at work or home. A grueling workday or harried morning can drain any person’s reservoir of patience. And after all, my problem is not their mandate. But what troubles me is that those episodes seem to typify a gradual erosion of relational values in American commerce.  

Perhaps I’m gilding the memories, but I remember retailers in my childhood who went out of their way to help customers – without charging extra! They cultivated relationships with people, and never took anyone’s business for granted.

Selfless service is a backbone of American history. Who hasn’t heard stories of pioneer folks gathering to help raise a new cabin or barn for a needy family? I grew up watching my mom deliver casseroles to sick neighbors and clean houses for shut-ins. Even now there are plenty of people who readily render aid to anyone who needs it. For them, greater need trumps personal inconvenience.

Here at the Senior Center, we try our best to keep relationships a priority in every situation. Our staff and volunteers delight in serving the senior adults of Palo Pinto County. Persons at least 55 years old are welcome to participate in our computer or writing classes, play with our new Wii or X-Box Kinect, shoot pool, eat daily hot meals with us or join in any of our other activities and events.

Come meet some old friends and make new ones. We also love hearing from folks who can’t down get here, like my new friend Dan Delgado. I appreciated his encouraging letter. Time, encouragement, service and support – those are the lasting values that really count.