Every where I drive these days, I find myself near another pop-up pumpkin patch. My kids scream for joy in the backseat. They beg for us to pull over and stop. It isn’t so much the lure of picking a pumpkin… it’s the giant bouncy houses that seem to accompany every lot. Lots of these pick of the patch lots seem to be run by ABC Tree Farms… I can only guess that these Halloween lots will be transformed into Christmas Tree lots come Thanksgiving.
I’m not against these lots at all. In fact, I’d rather look at the hundreds of pumpkins than the empty parking lots. I think it’s fun and festive… and it always helps me get into the season (whatever the season may be). My problem is with my own time.
We haven’t made the time to visit a pumpkin patch. Too much is going on in our weekend lives to make a visit to the nearest abandoned lot turned Halloween headquarters. The box of Halloween decorations is still collecting dust in our garage. I know that picking a pumpkin at an adorable lot where my kids can jump to their hearts content in the variety of bouncy houses is probably not our reality this year. Instead, I picture a mad rush to our grocery store where I can buy a cheap pumpkin without my kids in tow. We’ll probably carve the pumpkins the day of Halloween because, let’s face it, carved pumpkins really can’t last more than day outside.
When I drive by the pop-up pumpkin lots, I’m reminded that I’m too busy to live in the moment. School, homework, my job, carpool, sports, home improvement, life-in-general seems to be standing between me and that pumpkin patch. I still have two weeks before Halloween to find the time.
Or maybe… just maybe… the next time my kids scream for joy at the sight of a pumpkin patch, I’ll just pull right over and put spontaneity in front of my to-do list.
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