Always Stop at the Lemonade Stand (Part 2)
There are many
things that I hope my boys will remember when they grow up and become parents.
One of them is our unofficial house rule “Always stop at the lemonade stand.” We always stop and buy a cup or more of
lemonade whenever we see a lemonade stand. In fact, I keep a “lemonade fund” in
my car just for that purpose. The boys
will now tell me if they spot a lemonade stand on the side of the road because
they want to stop. They “get” it. You see, I’ve never been disappointed when
walking away from a lemonade stand and I certainly enjoyed my own lemonade
stands when I was a young child. In order to have a lemonade stand, you must be
willing to talk to someone you don’t know and that takes some guts. You also
have to be willing to do some work. When customers arrive, you must practice
very important life skills, looking them in the eye and having a two way
conversation with them. The conversation is always friendly and most often I
spot an adult off to the side beaming with pride as their young entrepreneur sells
me a cup of lemonade. You might be
thinking that the lemonade doesn’t taste very good and quite frankly, most often
that is true. If that is the reason you are stopping, then you are missing so
much in life. I don’t stop for the lemonade. I stop for that warm fuzzy feeling
I get inside whenever I go to a lemonade stand. I stop for the smiles and the
giggles. I stop for the conversation because kids have some great things to say
if we listen to them. I stop because like the young entrepreneur, I have hope
in our future. I believe in working hard to earn money. Every time I walk away from a lemonade stand,
I feel good and I have a smile on my face because I know that this great
tradition continues. I celebrate because I conversed with a child who chose to run
a business and interact with strangers face to face over playing video games
inside on their own. I also reminisce about the good ole days when I used to
have my own lemonade stands with my friends and one day, I’d like to get back
together with them on the side of the road with a sign that says
“Free Lemonade for
Everyone. Thanks for the Memories!”
