Saturday Photo: At the Park Jeanne Says 'Partage!' Or the Beginnning of the Common Good

This was taken about 7:30 a.m. in a neighborhood park where we've spent several lovely afternoons this summer with Jeanne.

We go with sand pail and shovel, which she tosses into the sand box as soon as we arrive.  Then she starts playing with other kids' toys, some of which have obviously been forgotten or lost or contributed and remain from there from day to day.

At not quite two, one of the big lessons she's having to learn  is to share with other children: the swings, the slide, and the toys.  Her parents are constantly reminding her of that, to the point that when we arrive at the playground she's begun to say "Partage!" or "Share."  Doesn't keep her from sometimes being upset when someone takes her pail, even when she busy filling someone else's with sand, but it's a step in the right direction.

Not all of the parks around have the same cache of forgotten/communal toys, nor did this one at the beginning of the nice weather.   What's the difference, given that the social economic status of park users in the general vicinity isn't that disparate?

It's not a question of litter because  there is a groundskeeper in the park for 10 hours a day and it's otherwise quite clean.  I'd like to think that someone left behind a shovel one afternoon, more or less voluntarily, and others have followed suit for the common good.