Back in 2011, I started making plans for a picnic with some classmates, but it never came to be and before I knew it they’d all left school and arranging it was impossible.
Back in 2013, my friend Stacey and I had made some plans to have a picnic. Sadly, the two of us had a falling out shortly after – we had completely made up a couple of months later, but the picnic never came to be.
Back in 2014, my friends Chloe, Oscar and Sophie had formed rough plans to have a picnic. It was summer and we were coming to the end of our time at university. I was excited for it. Alas, it got pushed back a few times and before long it was impossible because I was out of university with no money and not seeing any of them regularly.
Back in 2016, I spoke to my friend and colleague Sarah about having a picnic with her and a couple of others. She was enthusiastic and I was excited. Shortly after, Sarah ceased to be my colleague and then, as we saw each other less regularly, we were never able to properly solidify the picnic plan.
Back in 2018, I was working in a call centre. I’d formed a rough social circle out of my colleagues there and together we made plans for some things we could do. One of which was a picnic – but it never happened, because soon I (and several of them) left. I said as soon as it came up, however, that it would never come to fruition. I knew then that I was cursed never to attend a picnic.
This year (2019, for those reading in the future) my friend and colleague Kat suggested having a picnic. I said I was enthusiastic, but that I did not believe it would happen – picnics always got cancelled when I was involved in them. Sure enough, Kat and her family were struck down with a terrible virus for ever daring to suggest that I might join them for a picnic.
However, Kat was not to be deterred. A few months later, she tried to rearrange the picnic. I accepted the invitation, of course, but after an unfailing track record of eight years, I did not expect it to come to pass. Indeed, just one week before I was taken into A & E and Kat thought that the picnic curse had struck again – was there nothing that could be done?
Well, thankfully, I was feeling up to it after all and today I went to the picnic – my first ever! It was a delightful afternoon; I ate cake and got to come along with some children on a treasure hunt. I also found out about some unusual banging things called Fun Snaps. Wonderful.
The moral of the story is that you must never roll over to fatalism. If your goals seem hopeless or unattainable, worry not, for you, too, will eventually get your picnic.
