Saturday, July 14, 2007

When Life Serves You Lemons...



Sometimes learning to give Life that certain "twist" isn't an exciting endeavor. Sometimes Life's "twists" are an awful tangle; a seemingly terrible dance in which one can't leave the room. More often than we may prefer Life serves a bag of lemons and forces us to be master lemonade makers; the subject of this week's blogtalkradio/ jnetsworld.

While some of us forge through Life in rooms full of rotting lemons, some of us will practice the alchemy of making gold out of Life's unexpected gems.

Darling, I know how to make a strawberry lemonade, an Arnold Palmer, a lemon twist, and a lemon drop martini and though I sometimes wish I can face someone off with a lemon pie, I've learned to sit out the heat and know the comfort of a good and honest glass of lemonade.

So what recipes have you learned in your own Lemonade University? Who were your professors? Your parents, your neighbors, your lovers, your enemies, your television programs???

And if you're still sucking on your seventh day, month, year or decade of lemons... Why has it become your preferred flavor? Luckily, most of us have figured out how to sugar up the sour times or see that a little bit of lemon has the power to excite an otherwise predictable and bland life.

Interestingly enough, as I reflect upon my earliest lemony moments, I would like to declare that it is all my mom's fault. Disagree away and be disagreeable she encouraged; it was our freedom of expression in the space of what appeared like chaos and discord. It took several years of matches did I understand the game and found that she wasn't being a total weird toad and we both enjoyed serving it up.

I've flown the nest and didn't earn my lemonade stand degree until after college. Life had a few make-up courses. I had to learn to make peace when I'd rather put on my running shoes. I found that I was pre-programmed in ways that didn't create the autonomy I wished for my personal goals. I had a few bags of lemons laying about.

What is a girl to do except learn to get cooking. I am not a lemon farmer.. I'm a freakin creative lemonade maker.

This Life has not been roses, lollipops and sunshine 24/7. I wasn't borne into that Life. Has anyone? No matter what one's station in Life is, no one is immune to disappointment, regret, heartbreak or pain. Everyone has tasted lemons.

Sometimes it seems that I get a new batch every week and the only thing I can do is be quick... slice it up and serve it fresh and enjoy sitting out the heat with a new recipe for Life.

I saw a picture of a few kids minding their own lemonade stand this past week. What were they raising funds for? A new toy? Candy money? No... they were raising money to help out victims of a terrible disaster.

A lemonade stand for peace? A lemonade stand to bring comfort and support to others and make for a better world?

Why not?

What are you doing with YOUR lemons?

JNET

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