It’s that time of year in Northern California…the citrus trees are in their full glory!
A friend of ours has an AWESOME Meyer lemon tree that produces the most deliciously sweet lemons. Every year they share their bounty and we most certainly enjoy them in many different ways!
Yesterday my hubbie brought home over two dozen of these lovelies, and as he was juicing a few of them this morning I began thinking about my week and one of my favorite old sayings:
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
When you stop for a minute and really think about it…there is so much wisdom in those few words.
Countless generations have faced challenges; whether through personal relationships, depressed economies, community violence, national crisis’s. The lemons have always been there, but then so has the option of adding sugar.
We have a choice. We can either succumb to the sourness, despair and bitterness of the lemons that life will undoubtedly give us; or we can just add sugar and see these challenges as crossroads that have the potential to teach us a lesson, give us new perspectives or provide us with new opportunities of sweetness that we would not have otherwise found. The reality is…it’s really up to us.
This week at my “day job”, I found out that we lost one of our biggest contracts. And due to the loss, the company had to downsize and our hours were cut. Initially, I was upset. As I was driving home, wallowing in my despair, fretting over “how are we going to make it, what will we do, etc, etc “…I decided to ask God for a sign; “Will we be okay?”
Within seconds, I heard a horn honk and a man give a homeless person some money, then I saw someone helping an older woman in a wheelchair cross the street and then I saw a flock of 10-12 baby turkey’s happily waddling down the paved city street with their momma without a care in the world.
And then I started smiling. The message, the reminder, it was strong and clear…as long as we keep doing good and putting one foot in front of another, the universe is watching out for us and it’s all going to be okay.
I’ve noticed when I come from a place of fear I have a tendency to feel scared or bad, have a greater need to “control” the situation and have a low tolerance for uncertainties. But, when I come from a place of love, I feel good, trust that things are happening for my best and am more likely to accept (and enjoy) the uncertainties that life certainly always brings.
As the week has progressed, I’m happy to report that I’ve been adding a lot of sugar to my bag of lemons, which is definitely making my pitcher of lemonade deliciously sweet.
The sweetness really comes from refocusing and thinking about:
- What am I going to do about this?
- How am I going to make this work?
- What are all the good things that can come out this?
- What is the lesson I’m learning?
- And what can I do to make this situation even sweeter?
And mostly, about reminding myself that every potential “blow, setback or devastation” is really just a blessing in disguise. With a little bit of perspective, patience, faith and love…sooner or later it will reveal its purpose.
So, here’s to making some sweet LEMONADE!
Cheers, xo,
Kajal
