I Refuse to Miss This Moment [and a recipe for Hand Squeezed Lemonade]
The air tastes like salt and freedom as I nestle deeper into my beach chair. Binoculars at the ready, I’m once again playing the unaccredited, unpaid, and perhaps a tad paranoid “lifeguard” at my son’s summer sailing camp. Waves lazily kissing the shore, mountains still crowned with snow, and the sky so blue it could be a gemstone. The scene before me is intoxicating, almost enough to drown out the knot of worries tied tightly in my chest.
Let me count the reasons for my vigilance. First, I have two budding sailors who came home from day one discouraged. The dry-land “instruction” too closely resembled boredom for them. The money we paid for this camp dances in my mind with every second they sit idle. Second, my youngest is a five-year-old going on ten who might just find it adventurous to ditch his life jacket. Lastly, there’s me – a mom with a budding interest in birding, which seems more like an alibi than an actual hobby at this point.
I focus my binoculars, not on a rare bird, but on sail #11 – my boys’ floating microcosm. My heart expands and contracts with every bob of the boat. I see them, then I don’t, I see them. I can almost see the headline: "Mom Watches Helplessly as Children Capsize." Just as quickly, I banish the thought, taking a sip from my lemonade. The sweet and sour mix feels like a liquid metaphor for my existence at this moment—so much joy tinged with a zesty undertow of worry.
Still, I refuse to miss this moment. To not be present would be an injustice to the laughter of these fleeting summer days and even my constant maternal fretting. I raise my binoculars again and take a deep gulp of the mountain air as crisp as my homemade lemonade.
As I sit here, oscillating between sweet contentment and tart apprehensions, I’m reminded that life, much like lemonade, is a blend of sweetness and tang. My love for them is the sugar, my fears the lemon, both essential. Perhaps one day, the balance will tip more towards sweetness, but for now, I treasure the mix.
Hand Squeezed Lemonade
Yields about 8 servings
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 9 lemons)
½ cup sugar
6 cups of cold water
Lots of ice
I know it might seem funny to share a recipe that only has three ingredients. Or the fact that it's rather time consuming to squeeze lemon with a hand-squeezer. But think of this as a nudge to slow down, in whatever season you’re in. Enjoy this simple recipe and keep it in your fridge to sip on all summer long.
Roll lemons around on your counter to soften. Cut in half lengthwise, and squeeze into a liquid measuring cup. Combine sugar. I don’t bother to heat a saucepan to get the sugar to dissolve. I tend to stir the mixture each time I snag it from the fridge instead. Discard any seeds. Pour 6 cups of water into the pitcher. Stir.
Add the ice cubes directly into the glass, so the mixture doesn’t get watered down. Sip. Sigh. Sit back.
