Most of us have heard the famous adage, “when life gives you lemon’s make lemonade”. Sure it’s cute. It’s memorable and easy to remember. It is also the last thing you want to hear when you are going through hard times. Personally, I would be more prone to cut those lemons up and put them in some sweet tea but that might be my North Carolina influence talking. I was wondering if perhaps we could pull some wisdom out such a frivolous saying and since it’s summer and I am out of town, what better time than the present!
The lemons: Any time we set out do to something there is always a risk of failure. Sometimes this is a negligible chance but it is still there. We try a new hobby or we attempt to conquer a long held goal and we fail. Taken as a whole the lemon is not really suitable for lemonade. You will need to cut the fruit up up before you can do much with it. Sometimes it seems like everything is going wrong everywhere! At times like these I try to break everything down. Figure out what is really wrong or what is really preventing me from my goals, like writing. Once I know what I am dealing with I can take action to correct course.
The water: Time heals all wounds they say. If you are experiencing anger or frustration over your difficulties maybe it is time to take a momentary step back. If you are failing at a certain goal then maybe you need to reset the mark? This isn’t an excuse to make it easier, it’s to make your goals attainable so you don’t burnout trying to scale a wall you are not ready for. As analytical as I can sound, I am not very good at this. I want to attack the problem harder! Faster! More words! Whatever it takes! Instead it would often be wiser to just take a breath. Take a moment. Cool down. Douse those lemons in water.
The sugar: Now for the good stuff! We all have different coping mechanisms to pick ourselves back up. For me it usually involves music and friends or family. Don’t dwell on the fact that you are experiencing a moment of stress. It is just a moment. I soothe the pain with copious amounts of sugar! I mean, music and love. For you maybe it’s a good run, or a hike through nature. Whatever it is, focus on that for a moment. Allow yourself a moment or two of just happiness.
The lemonade: When you have made your lemonade, don’t forget to share it. Life, as we all know, can be hard. It’s part of what makes us grow, makes us who we are. It’s still no fun to go through. In times like these we turn to our houses of worship, our friends, and our families, for comfort. For solace. For a helping hand. This is what makes us human and it these challenging moments that bind us together. Everyone experiences this sort of failure, yet we have bought into the idea that our struggles are somehow abnormal. That if everyone knew how much we really struggled they would somehow look down upon us and our lives. We look at our lemons and assume that we are the only lemon tree in town. My dear ones, normal is not perfect. Normal is broken, struggling people like you and me. Share the lemonade, encourage others with your struggles and the times you were victorious. Share in the grief with times you also struggled and still failed. It’s ok. It’s part of what makes us all human.