"when Life gives you lemons... you make lemonade"
I hate this saying...really, I do.
Here’s what I don't like about it… it's too easy. Some platitude. It’s not really a good analogy for what to do when Life isn’t smiling upon you…eeerrrrr possibly when it feels like Life is actually out to get you… and get you good, really good.
Lemons are, inherently good are they not? I know, I know…lemons are sour…sour represents the hard parts in life. but the sour generally in those examples are tempered with the sweet. Just look at this example. take something sour, add water and sugar and you’ve got something good.
easy peasy, nice n’ easy…
yeah...life ain't easy, is it?
“Lemon tree very, very pretty and teh lemon flower is sweet. But the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat…”
Of course, sour in and of itself really isn’t that bad is it? I mean from a culinary aspect, sour is good since it can be used to temper the intensity of other tastes… sweet, rich, salty. such as in life, it helps temper and enhance those other facets of life as well... And enhances other flavors. The sweet, the salty. So lemons are good and if used or put in its proper perspective… it enhances the good in other things.
See? It doesn’t work…
I think people like the lemonade analogy because it gives them hope that they can conquer anything that life can send their way. Trivializing it to the point where they feel they can deal with it? Perhaps. But I think that type of thinking hurts more than helps because there are some situations so schitty… so in-uncomprehendingly awful…you can’t see the other end. I know, i’ve been there… really… I have…
So, let’s try something that might work better. something that might really represent the schittiness that Life can drop on us…
Pig vomit…
“when life gives you pig vomit…”
Ok… what do you do with pig vomit? Anything good come out of that? Bacon? Ham? Not if the pig is gone…
So here's something where there is nothing recognizably good at all.
Yup… not much, if anything, yeah?
Life can be pretty fucky at times… and sometimes, for no reason whatsoever, it likes to revisit you. Not the event mind you… just the emotions generated from that event. So what do you do then? What do you do when Life takes a giant steaming dump on your head…
Sometimes… nothing. nothing at all(other than cleaning yourself off)... and there’s nothing wrong with that.
There is no mandate that you need to make something good out of every negative situation. The act of surviving and growing beyond that experience may be all that is being asked of you.
The mere act of getting through the schitt to live another day, exist another day…
to be able learn something and pass on that nugget of wisdom from your experience…
Yeah… maybe, that’s all you can hope for…and it’s enough.
So what do we do?
I think all we can do in some situations is to just move on. If we can, clean up the me.…and go on to the next. sometimes, you can't even do that... but you still have to move on. You may just have to letrsomeone else clean that up for you. It may not be your job.
Sure, the stink may still be there… and there may be a stain for good amount of time, sure. It's all part of Life... but it’ll be in the past. More often than not, you may enter that room and the stain or a linger smell may bring back some negative memories and emotions, but at this point… you know you’ve gotten past it once and you can do it again.
The major idea...thing is... that you just need to keep moving… even if that just means treading water and staying afloat. Like i've said before, sometimes that’s the most you can ask for in some situations. Even if it feels like you aren’t making progress. By not slipping beneath the waves of despair, you are making progress. you are surviving. making sure you’re not being pulled down into the darkness.
SURVIVING.
You can’t control what life drops on you…you can only control your response to it. God will take care of the rest… and you know He/She will.
So… when life decides to give you pig vomit?
Clean it up… move along…
Shake it off, step up…
Dig a hole, fill it up...
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