When I first laid eyes on my cave of a basement suite, I knew that it would be home to me during this interim stage of my life. Being the footloose, carefree young adult that am I knew that the house was nestled in the midst of a neighbourhood that took me back to my favourite childhood memories in Ottawa, Ontario.
My greatest memories of living in Ottawa were having a ton of friends my age on my street. Melanie’s pool. The huge garden in our backyard where I would pick carrots right from the ground and eat them. Heading the warnings from my mother to wash the veggies and fruit before I ate it really didn’t matter much to me.
Picking the rhubarb from the back corner of the backyard where the creepy crawlies created underground metropolis settlements. Secretly grimasing the whole time knowing my mom would serve steamed rhubarb with dinner and then make enough strawberry rhubarb pie to last a lifetime. The bitterness of such a stalk still makes me shudder when I think of it. And yet, the is a very fond memory now.
The time my best friend Nicholas had a huge hives break out when I fed him green jello on our back stoop of our house. And my wonderment to his mother’s explanation to his absence in my life for well over a week. My friend Sarah and I visiting him while he looked like a swollen pillow with red blotches all over it.
The one surprise party anyone was ever really truly able to surprise me with. I went around for a week thinking that all my friends hated me because they all suddenly had plans when I wanted to hang out with them. Being the planner isn’t always in your best interest when it comes to having other people surprise you.
And selling lemonade on the corner of Drainie Drive when I was 8 and selling Lemonade for a 1.00 a cup. Granted it was a gourmet glass of lemonade but a dollar nonetheless over 15 years ago.
These memories flooded my brain this weekend as I was approached by a freckly 7 year old in my new neighbourhood asking me if I wanted to bye a cup of KoolAid© for 25 cents. I was thinking that he was going to say it was a 1.50 with considerations for inflation etc. Instead, it was a mere 25 cents. Don’t tell me this recession is driving down the price of a glass of KoolAid©?
I stopped and pulled all of the spare change I could find in my spare change drawer. The boys looked ecstatic to see a tip. Although at such a bargain basement price I suspect that everyone gave them more than the asking price. I asked the boys what they were saving up to buy. They both gave me a very earnest answer: to buy flowers for their moms. They had 5 dollars at that point.
I did a quick calculation of how much it probably cost mom for the cartoon cups that were used for the KoolAid, plus the KoolAid as well.
It may just be a break even proposition where mom bought the KoolAid in exchange for some flowers. But really, only an adult would do this mental calculation. At the heart of it, it’s the most precious gift ever. Mom won't care when its all said and done. Because of the time, effort and thought she'll melt. I think we can all learn a lesson from these youngsters. How much thought makes it a gift where the thought counts? I suppose if you give it any thought and effort really.
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