Pushing Brighton Forward

Back in the 1980's in Lima-Peru, my brothers and I used to ride two buses for an hour each way to school. These were old buses, packed to several times the maximum capacity of people, with bodies hanging out of the door, and exuding the most uncomfortable of aromas - especially for a short kid squeezed in between many adults.

But, once in a while, my dad would be able to give us a ride to school in our 1968 Mustard-Yellow Datsun 510. We were elated to ride in the car, the ride was much shorter, comfortable, and smell free. However, most of the time this required that my two older brothers, my dad and I would have to push the old, not so faithful Datsun down the street to get it going. We would push hard and fast enough to catch some decent foot speed for my dad to jump in and pop the clutch. We held our breath in expectation, hoping that with a sputter or two, the engine would turn and roar to carry us comfortably to school... when it did not, we would repeat the process until it did start, or we'd just push the car back to the house and catch the dreaded bus.

I reflected upon these memories of my childhood this morning as I thought about how our community resembles our old Datsun, needing a push to keep it going. I thought about the owner of a restaurant who mentioned how he had invested in plexi-glass and other measures to keep people safe dining indoors, only to be forced to close down the dining area afterwards. When asked how business was going, he replied sadly: "Not very good…" Which begged the question, what can we do? What can I do?

My upbringing in Lima made me a frugal adult. I am not one to eat out often, and I've always tried to find the lowest price on whatever I buy. But today, our community needs our generosity, our small businesses especially, need our support. For those of us who are fortunate enough to still have a job, or are able to continue running our businesses (even if not at full capacity), it is time to set frugality aside and become more conscious and purposeful with where we spend each dollar.

Here are some practical things we can do to help push our local businesses forward:

1. That item you were planning to buy from Amazon to save five bucks, get it instead from the local store.
2. Order your dinner from the restaurant down the street and get it delivered.
3. Give a generous tip to the driver, as if he or she were your own kid.
4. Keep up your gym membership if you can still afford it.
5. Continue tithing to your church even if you only attend on-line.
6. Buy gift cards if available and give them to friends and family.
7. Look through the Brighton Buzz and see what businesses in our area are able to fulfill a need in your household or business.
8. I encourage business owners to support each other. I invite every willing business owner of a restaurant, shop, hair salon, landscaper, plumber, handyman, dental, optometrist, dog groomer, cleaning service, etc. to come to our Karate school and drop us some of your flyers or coupons to share with our students. Everyone wins.

Even with small purchases, when we buy local, we help to support not only the business owner, but also the employees that work there; and the sales taxes we pay help to run essential city services. By reinvesting locally, we are helping to push our entire community forward through these tough times. And with the Good Lord's favor, maybe soon we can pop the clutch, get the motor running, and simply enjoy the ride again.