Picnic Tree
When I was finishing my degree I was a single Mom in college while working. Translation: WE WERE POOR. When I talk about government assistance programs helping get people AWAY from using those systems so they can contribute as an adult? I’m talking about ME.
Anyway…I don’t feel like we’re rich now, by any means. But we’re members at the Botanical Gardens. We live in a nice neighborhood within walking distance of great parks. We can afford to go to movies and out to eat. We see plays and go to the Disney [FILL IN BLANK] on Ice events. We are not rich…but we can afford entertainment. And this is loads of fun.
However, when we were in Florence a few weeks ago I had a series of flashbacks of places I used to go to entertain E. Mainly? On the campus of UNA – my alma mater. The campus has changed a lot, actually it’s even more kid-friendly now. But we were always up there for school stuff anyway, so I would use the campus as our playground. And you know what? There’s something to being forced to be creative in how you entertain your children.
This tree? This SUPER-GIANT magnolia…sits on campus, right by the Lion habitat. (What? Your school didn’t have a Lion habitat?) It’s hard to tell from the FULL picture, but you can crawl INSIDE the tree. And it’s wide, open, and AWESOME. We would go in there all the time to just hang out or even to bring picnics and eat. Man, I miss that tree. But even more? I miss my own forced-creativity while entertaining my children.
From the inside, out.
I will do two things from now on. And by “from now on” I mean: Until I forget about this nostalgia. I will be more grateful for the privileges we can enjoy now that we’re making more than minimum wage. And I will try to be more creative in how I entertain my children and not depend on that privilege. Anyone can go see a movie with their kids, but how many eat picnics INSIDE TREES?
We live in a really nice county with nice amenities. Sometimes, I wonder when I will stop being in awe of all the free things available — our botanical garden, children’s farm, extensive library system and ridiculous amount of parks. The day I take it for granted is the day I know I need a serious attitude adjustment.
It’s usually the memories of the simple, cheap stuff that sticks with us, too
That looks like an amazing picnic spot! I am so impressed by you and the way you got yourself through school with E to care for. You are a rock star. <3
We didn’t have any kids when I was at college, but I do sometimes envy those simpler days, even though we are so much better off (and relatively free of worry) these days. There is something totally liberating about knowing you can spend NOTHING and just being satisfied, as opposed to trying to stretch the most out of a moderate income. I always knew it would be a sad day when milk crates no longer counted as “real” furniture
I am so proud that u got through your time as a single mum marvellously ^^ xx There was a running politician fighting for single mum’s same maternity rights in our country recently, here it’s in the process of improving xx