I feel lucky to live in a neighborhood where kids still set up the occasional lemonade stand.
Being the soft-hearted sucker that I am, I always stop and buy lemonade, because,
well, just cuz.
And in spite of the fact that I don't like lemonade, I suspect that I'll continue being the loyal customer of all neighborhood, capitalist wannabees under the age of twelve or less than four feet tall.
During one lemonade stand stop a few years ago, a lemonade stand run by two young children, maybe six years old I'd guess, I read the funniest, most endearing, hand-painted sign.
The sign said . . .
LEMONAID FOR SAIL
25 cents each or two for $1.00
I couldn't stop smiling as I selected the irresistible bargain of buying two little cups for a dollar leaving two smiling faces proud of the dollar in their jar. I managed to drive the short distance home without spilling a drop, carrying the two cups into my house where they were placed on the kitchen counter.
I took a taste, swallowed hard and felt bad when I poured all of the lemonade down the drain in the kitchen sink.
Human nature is puzzling at times and downright irrational from a distance. I can't drive past a lemonade stand.
Today, I left work in order to meet an appliance repairman at my home. I had never met him before but instantly, I was impressed by his cheerful attitude. I found out that his name was Dave.
We chit-chatted about the problems with the washer and dryer. Dave said that Maytags are out of production and that mine were probably made in Iowa. Newton, Iowa, he said. GE may sell its division to a Chinese company according to what he'd heard. And he began to list the countries making the appliances on the market today.
The tee-vee was on, a cable news channel; we talked about the proposed bailout of the auto industry. Dave worked for about forty-five minutes, fixed the dryer, fixed the washer and with no prompting from me said "I sure have lost a lot of money in my mutual fund, I feel like I'll get it back though". We began discussing the economy as I was writing a check for $50.00, parts and labor. Dave said he had planned to retire at 62 but had given up on that idea. I handed him the check, he glanced at the tee-vee, Harry Reid was on.
"They'll get us out of this mess somehow", he said.
And I'll keep stopping at lemonade stands.