Lemonade is one of my favorite beverages. The perfect blend of sweet and sour … when made right. But have you noticed that not everyone makes their lemonade the same? Some want more of a sour kick while others prefer loads of sugar. Stay with me …. I promise I’m going somewhere with all this.
They say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When we consider lemonade in respect to life, no two individual’s recipe will ever be the same. Why? Because life provides each of us with a unique set of “lemons”, some more sour than others. From catastrophic to just plain devastating, life has been known to throw some pretty vicious shots our way. It’s up to us as to the lemonade we make.
Have you ever met an individual who was so positive that you wondered if they ever get mad? They seem to have the ability to turn any negative situation into sunshine and rainbows. I admire those individuals greatly as this was never my strong suit. There is a misconception, though, that we are to only use the sweet portions of our sour lemons. But sometimes the bitter tangy-ness of certain life lemons provides a beneficial edge that we need. Maybe you needed thicker skin. Or to stop being so impulsive. Or to get out of your comfort zone. Whatever it is, sometimes only the most sour of lemons can help prod us in the direction we need to go.
I’m no exception to the rule. Life threw me a lemon recently. My dad died. He was like Superman to me. While I knew he wouldn’t live forever, I didn’t think his time would be up so soon. And in this grieving process other lemons have presented themselves. False friendships have been revealed. Relationships have fallen completely off. Self evaluations. It’s been rough. And yet it’s up to me to make sure my lemonade recipe isn’t thrown off. What’s a girl to do?
What I have learned most during this process is that not all lemons need to used. Sometimes, it’s okay to simply acknowledge life’s newest “lemon”, and move on. If it’s not adding to the recipe of my life in a way that is beneficial FOR ME, then I reserve the right to leave it where it is. There’s a difference between allowing something to grow you, mature you, or transform you into a better version of yourself, and simply letting something change you. I refuse to let a lemon cause me to be angry or bitter or depressed or step out of character. That’s not the lemonade of life I envision for myself. Take your lemons and make them work for YOU, no one else. That’s the beauty of life, lemons, and lemonade.
Poetic Jae Piece of the Day: While we cannot control the lemons life gives us, it is solely our responsibility as to the lemonade we create that we call life. Choose what works FOR YOU and don’t be afraid to kick some of those sour lemons to the curb. Happy mixing, my loves!