This past weekend, Evan and I went on an impromptu picnic to the cemetery across the street. Yep, that’s right, a picnic in a cemetery. We live near the Oakland Cemetery here in Atlanta where many famous southerners are buried, like Margaret Mitchell. It’s not a sterile, sad place though. It’s beautiful and manicured and has benches and flowers and meadows – like a park where you want to spend time. It’s peaceful and lovely, and we can even let Bernie the dog off the leash. I love going here because it’s such a unique Atlanta experience – they host events and concerts here, too!
On Sunday after going on our hat shopping adventure at Goorin Bros (see Monday’s post!), we grabbed lunch at Lotta Frutta, a sweet little Cuban-Mexican sandwich shop in Old Fourth Ward, ran home to grab the dog and some drinks and walked on over to the cemetery. There’s a broken down wall at the back of it that you can climb over and land right in the picnicking and dog-frolicking section (otherwise you have to walk 20 minutes around to the official entrance – it’s that huge!!). We plopped down and enjoyed our little make-shift meal – nothing fancy, but boy was it awesome to take a break and disconnect from TVs and phones and cars and people and noise and life. It got me thinking that I simply don’t do enough of this. By ‘this’ I mean spontaneous adventures. Turning off screens. Taking our food to go. Enjoying outdoor spaces.
I guess what I’m saying is…try it! Go on a picnic! Disconnect! Ignore all the awful news and social media out there – even if just for a couple hours. Throw on some sneakers and jeans, sit on the grass, and exhale. If you live in a cold climate, try one at home. Spread out a blanket, make a simple meal, start a fire, and turn off all the distractions. You won’t be sorry.
P.s. If you’re looking for portable drink recommendations, I just tried this Rosé in a can by The Drop, and it is REALLY good. They also make a red that is supposed to be divine. For all you beer lovers, Evan has been digging this A Night on Ponce IPA by Three Taverns Brewery lately
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE PICNIC TREATS? WOULD YOU GIVE A PICNIC A TRY?
