When life gives me lemons I… don’t always make lemonade. I sometimes let them sour my thoughts. And then I surrender to a downward spiral where I indulge in negative mental chatter, self-pity and self-loathing. That inevitably leads to an indulgence in Grub Hub deliveries, chocolate chip cookies and mindless television. Plus, long scrolls across social media where world news and commentary by total strangers fuels my rage and anxiety.
When life gives me lemons I sometimes choose to avoid people, and even the outdoors, unless necessary. I also avoid making a to-do list or being organized in any fashion. Instead, I do things only when the “spirit” moves me which rarely happens when I’m in a “mood”. And as a result, I fall behind on the dreadful tedium of adult responsibilities which makes me feel like a total failure. That, of course, adds fury to my negative mental chatter. And the spiral continues.
But as I’ve gotten older, and hopefully wiser, I’m learning to harness my power of choice when life gives me lemons. I can choose the downward spiral or I can choose to commit to the rituals that keep me grounded in body, mind and spirit. Instead of “woe is me-ing” I can stand in the truth that whatever I’m going through is temporary and I can choose to escape, avoid reality or… make lemonade.
To do that, I connect to my higher self through journaling, movement, meditation and prayer. Within those sacred spaces I can become a compassionate and objective observer of my emotions, choices and behaviors. I can listen to my gut, my heart and my intuition without disruption. And that’s where I find the guidance, support and a clear path to move forward or, at the very least, to remain a fully functioning adult that can embrace difficulty with trust and hope. Those grounding rituals remind me that life’s lemons are actually purifying. They have the power to cleanse me of the unhealthy patterns of thinking, behaviors and choices that created my sour reality in the first place.
