After a long day of work, I look forward to picking up my son from daycare at Lollipop’s. Because he loves to explore, nearly each day we choose different roads to meander around town on our way home. This works out well for us; he tells me about his day and eats snacks while I learn more about the state of our roads.

Earlier this summer, we both noticed something interesting.  It seemed to be that, city-wide, there were an increased quantity of lemonade stands.  At nearly-four-years-old, Lukas is old enough to understand what they are and seeks down as many “lem-ade stands” as possible.  (I’ve learned I must keep a stash of coins on me just for this purpose!)

So, we stop.

We don’t stop just because I’m afraid my son will melt down if we don’t (although that lingering threat is always in the air), we stop because I love lemonade stands. I love the nostalgia of the lemonade stand that harkens back to my own childhood.  It represents innocence and neighbors, safety and joy. These days, it represents Mapleton.

As an adult, I see the classic lemonade stand for even more than I did as a child.  A lemonade stand shows creativity, entrepreneurialism, goal-setting, and resilience.  I’ve purchased many non-lemonade products at our neighborhood stands where mini-Fiizes pop up to include flavored sodas and homemade cookies.  I’ve seen supply-and-demand drive up prices on hot days. I’ve watched kids save for new scooters by learning how to increase margins and calculate earnings. Similarly, I’ve seen kids disappointed as their sign-waving proves ineffective while another car drives on by, but who also get right back up to flag down someone else.  (These are the kids that don’t settle for participation trophies!)   

These things also represent Mapleton. 

We are creative and entrepreneurial in our problem-solving.  We are goal-oriented in how we want our city to feel and function. And, we are resilient in the face of crisis and conflict: we unite to support each other and our children…and our parents.

While this isn’t my usual factoid-grounded blog, I felt that after this past weekend and with the conviction I have for preserving the feeling of our community that there is no greater message I would want to share today.

Thank you for valuing people above all else, for passionately planning for our futures, and, of course, thank you for your lemonade stands.