The Pleasure of Picnics

Picnics are a way to give the people or person you are with your undivided attention. There are no electronic distractions. Leave your cellular phones in the car or under the edge of the blanket and focus your attention on the present moment.

I have enjoyed many picnics in my life. Two stand out as the most memorable.

A Picnic in The Park My daughter and I were headed to my favorite park in my hometown for an afternoon together when she was in high school. This was a special treat for me because she had a busy social calendar and also worked. If this was so special for me, I should extend the invitation also to include my mom her grandmother.

I made a special picnic lunch complete with purple potato, and green bean salad served cold with a light dill dijon and lemon dressing, deviled eggs with fresh tarragon, and a farro salad with crisp apple and goat cheese. Yes, although this was many years ago, I remember exactly what I made because the day was so memorable.

We packed hoola hoops, a frisbee, the picnic basket, pillows, and a large blanket and set off to the park to meet my mom.

It never dawned on me that my then seventy-seven-year-old mom would not want to eat on the blanket. She assumed we would eat at a picnic table. When I think of a picnic, I always think of laying comfortably on a blanket. It is funny what gets assumed. She sweetly agreed to try it our way as long as we helped her up. We all enjoyed the food and company and had a ball hoola hooping. Grammy won the prize — who knew she could hoop so well lol.

A Picnic Hiking Adventure My other memory was a trip to Whole Foods, where I gathered to-go containers full of delicious salad items and a bottle of Cabernet. This was the best option given I was out of town and could not cook. I put everything in my backpack. My husband (at the time) and I enjoyed a nice long hike up a gorgeous mountain in Colorado. When we got to the top, it started snowing. We spread a small blanket out and enjoyed our meal overlooking snow-covered mountains and a pristine turquoise-blue lake. It was so romantic.

It was cold, but we were warmed by the love we shared at that moment, the adrenaline from the hike, and the lovely little sip of wine. Of course, we consumed a ton of water up and down the mountain.

Two nice women passing by stopped and warned us the snow was picking up and could get treacherous quickly. So, sadly, we had to cut our picnic a little short that day. It was still very special, epic, in fact. We laughed merrily all the way down the mountain, like kids. We spotted a mountain lion above in a cave on the way down. Thankfully, he was far off.

Final Thoughts

Picnics create lasting memories. Sometimes, I like to take my lunch and eat at a park under the shade of a nice tree alone. Picnics combine two of my favorite things — nature and food. They involve a laid-back feeling where time slows down.

I like to pack cold things that are low maintenance, such as grain salads, pasta salads, fruit, eggs, or egg salads. I typically take three items. Chips or chips and salsa are a nice addition. Of course, I always take paper towels, napkins, and silverware. If the picnic is in the evening, candles or battery-operated LED lights are an excellent addition. Pillows can make the setting more comfortable.

Do you like picnics?

Thank you for taking the time to read. I appreciate you so much.

Peace & Light,

Libby

If you would like to participate and tell me more about your favorite memory or experience with a picnic you too can participate in Sahil Patel's creative prompt found here:

I would like to take a moment to highlight a couple other writers and articles I found interesting this week and it was difficult to narrow it down because there were so many, but today I am sharing Sahil Patel's article about not just clapping and running because I really appreciate when reader's highlight and comment and interact with me. And, Surekha Chandrasekhar shares a powerful article loaded with signs of healing.