“If you want to get really rich all you have to do is sell a lemonade stand; and when I get older that’s prolly what I’m gonna do.”  Breezy

It’s a quote from my granddaughter spoken to her mother’s best friend. It was posted on Facebook one day earlier this summer. I’m sure Breezy heard the first part on the TV or the radio. The timing is about right. Of course for her mom’s generation it has an entirely different meaning than it does for us Babyboomers. When we were growing up a lemonade stand was a little table you put in front of your house with cups of lemonade on it that you sold to neighbors for a dime.

Now, Lemonade is Beyonce’s 2016 album with more storyline behind it than Alice: Beyond the Looking Glass. I’ll let look into that yourself. There is a lot of nuance to it.

Breezy spent the night last weekend. She decided we’d have a lemonade stand at the park. “You know, the big park with the tire swings,” she said. So, Friday night we went to Target to load up on supplies. We got lemonade (pink and yellow), cups, cookies, muffins, juice boxes, and Ziploc bags. When we got home, Breezy made signs. “Lemonade Stand,” “Open,” “Closed,” and, my favorite, “$1. dolr.”   She asked me how to spell everything, but made the dollar sign on her own. Precious! It’s a keeper.

The next morning, she woke up and the first thing she said was, “Hi Gigi. Are you ready for a lemonade stand?” She rolled over on top of me and hugged me tight. She asked, “Gigi, what if we don’t have no customers?” I didn’t correct 6-year-old Breezy’s double negative. Not the time for it. I responded, “Then we’ll try another time until we do have customers. That’s what you do. Keep trying until you are successful.”   She was quiet, but seemed satisfied with that answer.

We put all our stuff, plus bags of ice and water into our drag-along Igloo cooler, added some tape to secure our signs, and headed out for our adventure. We stopped by McDonald’s for our picnic lunch and made our way to the park.   We ate our picnic in the car. It was a hot day.

We got to the playground and I picked a spot just outside the fence on the sidewalk. It was in the shade. She approved the location.   I got everything set up and she went throughout the playground letting everyone know that we had a lemonade stand; she is not shy.

One grandfather made his way over with his small granddaughter. Yay! A customer this quickly?  When they got to the stand, he asked his little one if she wanted lemonade. “No,” she said. “No?” he acted surprised and laughed. “OK, then.” And they were gone. Breezy asked everyone who walked by and everyone on the playground. No takers.

One father came out of the playground and saw me. He said, “Oh are you the lemonade entrepreneur?” “No,” I said. “Breezy is the lemonade stand owner. I’m just the helper.”   Later I thought, well, I did put up the capital for the project. And she is well worth the investment.

Finally two girls about fifth grade or so came running up and stopped. I nudged Breezy. “Some possible customers,” I said. She asked them if they would like to buy lemonade.

They said they didn’t have any money but one went running back to where her dad was to get some cash. I prayed that her dad would give her the money. Shortly she came back with two one dollar bills. Breezy had customers!   She asked them if they’d like cookies or muffins. No, they’d just eaten cake. But they took their lemonade. One girl asked Breezy if she recognized her from school. Turns out they go to the same elementary school. The older girl gave Breezy a hug and they were gone. Breezy said, somewhat uncomfortably,  “Well, she was nice.”

After a bit, Breezy was ready to move our travelling lemonade stand. On the way to relocate, she said, “Gigi, can we be done with the lemonade stand?” “Sure,” I responded.   “What I’d really like to do is go swimming,” she replied. I think she was very hot!

We left the park. I don’t know about her, but I had a great time at the lemonade stand. I made some memories that will last forever. I hope she did too.

dmzh