Flourish in Progress

This week: Ride some rides. 

My brother and I had the same babysitter for most of our childhood. Her name was Six Flags.

By the second week of summer vacation, having us home full-time usually brought my mom to the edge of sanity. We were dirty, loud little people. We demanded all sorts of crazy things like three meals a day and rides to the community pool. Since I had a lot of free time, I tried to help out around the house. Once, I tried to cover a scratch on my mom’s white Nissan Sentra with white-out and house paint.

She didn’t thank me when she saw the repair job, but I could tell she was impressed. She locked herself in the bedroom for five hours that afternoon. I think she was calling her friends to brag about me.

The summer I was 12 and my brother was 10, my mom bought us season passes to Six Flags. She said it was so us kids could get some fresh air. I was always puzzled by her unusually wide grin every time she dropped us off. Sometimes, it was even before the park opened. I guess she really wanted us to get fresh air. Often, we’d hang out with our babysitter for eight or more hours.

We learned to budget. My mom gave us ten dollars apiece. The first few times, we blew through our cash. Quick tip: If you spend all your money in thirty minutes, you’re up shit creek. Hungry? Too bad. Thirsty? Too bad.

We got smart. We figured out that a soda costs four dollars, but a cup a water was free. Well, the water was free, but the concession stand charged for the ice and cup, which cost 25 cents. We stopped buying giant lollipops, foot-long powdered candy, funnel cakes, giant turkey legs, foam fingers, and stuffed animals. Instead, we bought a french fry snack and used the rest of the money for a burger lunch, which we split in half.

We learned to be brave. We’d give each other a little boost every time we wanted to back out of a ride. The Giant with its 79 degree drop? You can do it, sis! The Flashback with its three back-to-back loops? Why are you such a big, fat chicken, brother? Clearly, I’m an awesome big sis.

I’m taking my brother on some roller coasters this week. In honor of our old babysitter, Six Flags.

Fondest summer vacation memories as a kid?
Did any of y’all have unusual babysitters?
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image via etsy.com

Sometimes, my curiosity leads to good things. Once, I got curious about the profoundly disturbing smell in my refrigerator. Turns out, it was an old Taco Bell burrito. A hard and ugly Taco Bell burrito with mold. I cleared that toxic mess out of my fridge, did a little scrub, and Bam! back to freshness.

Other times, my curiosity makes me sign up for things that sound like a fan-tiddly-tastic idea at first, but as the day draws near, I want to run away, change my name to Poot-Poot, and assume another life as a coffin salesperson to avoid the commitment I’ve made.

This week is not one of those times I want to change my identity and bolt. I’m excited…a little too much, maybe.

Since giving up shopping, I’ve been curious about not only what people buy, but also what people choose to throw away. At one point, someone thought those items were worthy enough to spend hard-earned money to purchase. Then, they chuck it. Why?

My friend, Luke, proudly displays a coffee table in his living room he discovered by a dumpster while out walking his dog. It’s perfect, no dings or cracks anywhere. Maybe the former owner couldn’t look at the silver knobs a minute longer? Maybe it was gift from a former lover who ended up stealing all of his DVDs, and the table was a reminder of the betrayal? Every time I visit Luke, I come up with a different possibility. I can’t help but wonder why someone would throw it away.

I’ve never been dumpster diving, so I’m a little nervous. My friend, Jennifer, has graciously offered to be my Dumpster Diving Guide. She’s even promised to hose me down in her front yard afterwards. Jennifer, you are a gem.

I’ll fill you in next week about our adventure. We’re donating any finds in good, working condition to a local charity.
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Has a friend ever dared you to do something…unusual. Did you do it?
Have you ever found any interesting discards? Did you take it home?