Always stop for lemonade stands
This morning during my bike to work I came across an Orange Juice stand. At first I smiled, nodded, and rode past the brother and sister anxiously watching traffic pass. Many feet away the voice of my father, a postal worker, echoed in my head “I always stop for lemonade stands.”
Damn you, Dad.
I don’t recall exactly when he said this to me, but it was when I was driving and he was in the passenger seat and I had apparently chosen to not stop for kids selling lemonade.
I stopped, turned around, and watched the faces of the two towheaded kids light up as I made my return. The little girl was especially happy about it, the little boy was clearly trying to act professional and serious about our transaction. They said business was okay and thanked me for stopping. I paid $.50 for my orange juice and gave them a $.25 tip. The orange juice was good, freshly squeezed, but the point wasn’t the juice. Mostly, I hopefully delayed the development of cynicism in two little kids for a little bit longer.
If you are driving and it isn’t a dangerous road to break on, stop for lemonade stands. If you are walking or biking, there really isn’t an excuse.
