A while while ago, I drove through a town nearby and saw that someone had a motorcycle for sale on, or near, his front lawn. It was an old motorcycle, and likely in only fair condition. There was a sign beside the motorcycle with the asking price. The price was almost surely too high.
I passed through a few times thereafter, and the motorcycle was still there. The price was still the same. One day, though, I saw that the seller had made made a change — the motorcycle was painted differently, with a bright pattern along the sides. Again, the price was the same, but the motorcycle was different — it was flashier, sportier.
I never saw the motorcycle again after that occasion when I noticed it was painted differently. I don’t know if it sold, or at what price, but I’d like to think that it did sell, at a good price.
Transactions like this happen all over America — someone has something to sell, puts out a sign, and waits for a buyer. If the offer’s not attracting any takers, the seller either waits still more, pulls the offer, reduces the price, or offers more value (a sportier paint job, for example).
Now, I suppose that there are any number of objections to displaying a motorcycle for sale the way the buyer in my story did. I know, it probably doesn’t look right to some people. Still, if a young person fixes up a bike for sale, with a sign, isn’t that just part of a first taste and chance at the market? I know that many people want to look ‘right and proper,’ and would disapprove of a prominent display of the motorcycle for sale.
I wonder though, if in the insistence that each of our neighbors does things just the right way, we’ll lose some of the charm and vibrancy of small town experiences.
A lemonade stand, a few fruits and vegetables, a bike for sale now and then — we’ll not melt away from these opportunities. They’re a part of what makes us special in the world — that we’re not so fussy and stodgy about these offers.