When I was 10 I set up a peach stand next to a traffic light in an attempt to earn my fortunes. At 5 cents a peach, my business model was a little faulty. However, one guy, probably in his late twenties, driving a beige beat-up sedan pulled up to the red light and shouted out the passenger window “two peaches!” I quickly scurried into action, grabbing two of the best peaches I had, change for the quarter or loonie ($1) he would use to purchase them, and dashed over. He grabbed the peaches and tossed me a loonie. “Keep the change kid!” And with that he drove off. I couldn’t believe my luck. A whole dollar for two peaches. It was unbelievable. Unprecedented. I remember, to this day, that feeling of “landing the big sale.”
Years later I remember the first quilt I ever sold. It was a whimsical, woodsey baby quilt. I remember what I felt the moment I found out I made a sale. Excited. Terrified. Proud. Validated. Hopeful. Grateful.
And I was hooked.
This is what I wanted to do. This is what I wanted to spend my days, my years, my life doing. I wanted to make stuff. I wanted to work in a shop, my shop, for hours and hours everyday making stuff that was beautiful, perhaps functional. Stuff -being craft- currently quilting, that had so much soul and passion and love put into every piece, and that would be passed on to another who would use and enjoy it for years -maybe generations?- was, well, my 10-year old self’s idea of “making it big time.” A peach, a quilt…same passion.
I sometimes think about what I would do if/when I win the lottery. Not a whole lot different, to be honest. Perhaps, I’d make more frequent trips to the fabric store…but really, I’d keep most everything as it is. I’d keep my house, I’d keep my family, I’d keep my time spent quilting. Without the pressure of paying those pesty bills, life as it is, is pretty fantastic.
How grateful I am to live a life constantly chasing the giddyness and passion and dreams of my 10 year-old self.
The lemonade stand shown above (with its polite ‘closed’ sign), I passed earlier today. It reminded me of my peach-selling enterprise. Ever since that time I ALWAYS stop at any lemonade stand/small entrepreneurial kid-run business I come across to support the local candy-buying economy.
And I always tip big.
The Vinyl Teacup 