Making Lemonade
At some point or another, we all have heard “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” It can be hard to look at it this way when it feels like the lemons of your life have been out of season for months. Too green, too gushy, too textured on the sides. That’s okay. Lemons are nowhere near perfect, yet we still pursue them. Whether we douse our water in them, buy them at the grocery store to enhance our meals, or simply pluck them from trees. All kinds of lemons are out there, with all one reassuring path. That is, all lemons have a potential for lemonade, with different results based on who’s making it.
I’m 20 and unfamiliar with how to slow down, how to not over analyze my daily life, or how to be in the present moment. My lemons ripen too fast for me to handle. However, when I’m feeling in the mood for self improvement, this recipe comes to my mind in a light bulb sort of way.
If you are like myself—interested in doing the best you can with what you have, squeezing the lemons you’ve been given so tightly to prove you are capable—then this recipe is for you. Let’s make some lemonade.
Step 1: Make a simple syrup
When you decide to live your life in a way that doesn’t seek for more, but utilizes what is in the present, the change can be hard. The practice of not chasing and working on what you already have is a harder route, but will definitely be worth it. This first step will involve you making a list of things that you like and do not like about your life. The objective is to evaluate your jobs, friends, living situations, environments, and to acknowledge those that are working for you, and those that aren’t. After you’ve compiled a list, you’ll know what to get working on. For me, my simple syrup is a routine I look forward to, even on days when it’s difficult to find motivation. My formula for this simple syrup consists of enjoying long walks and running. I make smoothies, ask friends to hang out and watch Youtube videos. I read my books from the library, and I sit at the park listening to podcasts I like. The simplicity of this all should make you feel warm and gooey inside, like syrup itself.
Step 2: Squeeze the lemons
This step may seem self explanatory. But it is really important to apply pressure to the parts of your life that may feel stagnant. If you’re feeling like the days are the same, or you have an instinctive feeling that you’re not being treated in a relationship like you know you should be, squeeze your lemons. Hard. This may look like taking more time for yourself, walking away from unmoving opportunities to active ones, or starting something completely over just because you have the time. Step 2 is where the juices of your effort—your lemonade—are visible. If there isn’t a squeeze, a lemon won’t budge.
Step 3: Mix the Lemonade
Mixing lemonade requires a willfulness to keep going. When the simple syrup has taken residence in your new, optimistic lifestyle, some factors of your life may have to see themselves out. Some things don’t mix well, and your lemonade is doing you a favor by letting you know this before it’s too late.
Step 4: Chill and Serve
When you’ve reached the last step of this journey, your new lemonade is cold, icy, yet refreshing and sweet. I guess that’s what life is all about, maintaining that balance.
There is a certain comfort in knowing that a delicious lemonade awaits us all. No matter how long your preparation time takes, or if some ingredients are missing, or if it’s not sweet but too sour, lemons will always be there.
Regardless of how our lemonade ends up tasting, it could be so great that people may write your recipe down and enjoy it for years to come. We all deserve to give ourselves this chance, this zest for life.
Strike Out,
Written by: Madison Meadows
Edited by: Jane Dodge
Graphic by:
