When Life Hands You Lemons

We’ve all had our share of lemons in life.

Sometimes I think it would be nice not to have to deal with them. J

And then again, when I really think about it I realize I wouldn’t be the me I am today if I hadn’t had any of those lemons.

When life hands me a big ol’ round bowl of lemons my mind will eventually (after I’ve bitched and moaned a bit) recall this quote:

“When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.”

This saying conjures up these great images in my mind and I find myself smiling even when it seems there is no reason to smile.   I also smile because I know I’ve got a tool box which is abundantly filled to help me with those lemons.

However, the other day when life dealt me what felt like a couple bushels of jumbo lemons I said “Hmmm, wait a minute” and asked “How exactly do I make the lemonade this time?”

I mentally thumbed through my rolodex of mood improvers and lemonade recipes.

Nothing felt quite right.

So, I asked the question, “How do I sweeten this situation?”

Our minds are funny creatures.  If you ask it a question, it works overtime bustin’ its hump till it comes up with a solution.  J Love, love, love that about my mind!

And that’s exactly what happened with me.

My mind searched through its data base and found a solution for me. (Phew!  Just in time too!)  And my solution is adapted from a book I recently read by Rhonda Byrne, The Magic.

This time, the way for me to turn around the situation is for me to pour gratitude on it.

Okay, I can hear you thinking “OMG!  What are you effing nuts!  Be grateful for a bushel of lemons!  Oh no, not me!  That’s just friggin’ insane!  Do you know what the hell I’m going through?  Of course you don’t!  You have no freakin’ clue.”

Are you done?  J

I hear ya!  I’ve been there.  I’ve done that. (Don’t misunderstand me, I’m in no way saying that I completely understand where you’re at and what you’re going through, because each of us experience situations uniquely and I haven’t been through every single challenge in life.)   

It’s because I’ve been there and done that in multiple crappy situations that I’m choosing another option this time. (I can be a slow learner at times J)

So hear me out.

The answer for me in this particular situation is not so much to be grateful for the situation - though there are definitely things to be grateful for in it – the answer here is for me to offer up thanks to the Universe for things prior to receiving them.

Things such as: patience, emotional strength, encouragement, support, fun times, a smile on my face, a relaxed body, calm emotions and clarity to know when the right answer shows up.

It’s easy to slip into the victim role. (We’ve all already got loads of practice on this one)

And it’s easy to play the victor role. (We just need to practice flexing this awesome muscle more often!)

It’s a choice. Victim or Victor.

I’m trying out for the victor role this time.  Not because it’s the least amount of work (lol, it’s far from it!  My victor skills are nowhere near to being accomplished, but they’ll do) but because being the victim takes too much emotional and physical energy out of me and really does a number on the people I love the most.

So here’s a sampling of my new recipe for life’s lemons:

Step 1:  Begin the day with saying “Thank you Divine Power”:

Thank you for all the encouragement in my life. (Recall times in your life when you have felt encouraged by friends, loved ones and Divine Power. Recall as many yummy feelings as possible) 

Thank you for the fun times. (Reflect on the times in your life you’ve been dealing with some kind of crap and something fun happened.  Think about that fun time till you feel warm and fuzzy inside.  Acknowledge to yourself that if you could have fun during that time you can have fun during this situation) 

Thank you for the smile on my face. (Think about something that happened recently which made you smile. Do your best to allow the warmth of that memory to fill your heart) 

Thank you for how relaxed my body is. (Ponder times when you have been relaxed and how good it felt to be relaxed.  Say to yourself, relaxation is coming my way)

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Step 2:  Sprinkle these words throughout the day:

I can do this.

I’ve made it through tough times before.

I am supported.

I have the energy.

The answers will come.

I am patient. 

Step 3:  Reflect on all the times that the above statements have been true.

Step 4: Repeat Step 1 before going to sleep.

Worst that can happen with this recipe?

It doesn’t turn out quite the way I visualized it.

Best that can happen with this recipe?

I flexed and grew my gratitude and faith muscles. (Maybe I’ll be all buff by the time it’s all said and done!  Lol!)

And in the meantime, while things unfold, I get to feel the amazingness of feeling and being grateful within my being and witness its effect on others. 

To me, it’s definitely a win-win solution.

My wish for you today, dearest reader, is that your day is filled with solutions which are perfect just for you!  J

Soul Hugs,

Donice

Picture This

My Dad recently told me a story about a minister who brought an empty picture frame to one of his church members who was depressed and when he handed her the picture frame he told her that he wanted her to picture a picture of herself happy in the frame every day for the next three months.  The woman did as her pastor suggested, and by the end of the three months was no longer depressed!   

How cool is that?!

I loved the story my Dad shared with me for several reasons.

1.       It shows the incredible influence our thoughts have when we let them run amuck.

2.       It demonstrates the power of deliberate thought.

3.       It expresses how important visuals are to help us stay focused.

4.       My heart filled with joy that the woman broke free from her depression!  Yay!  Way to go!

5.       I was delighted to hear a story about a minister thinking outside the box!  Yeah!    

Now, I have no idea if the woman was seeing a counselor or if she was taking an anti-depressant during these three months or not, however if she was, that would have been totally cool too since I’m a big believer in utilizing multiple tools to help us get through rough patches, especially when you’re deep in the trenches of life. (You can read about my own personal story with depression in my blog A Cry For Help. )

Okay, now to be completely honest with you, when I first heard this great story, the true value of it took a bit to sink in because I was distracted by thoughts of my Dad’s current state of health.  He’d been staying with us for a few days and didn’t seem to be getting any better.  However, once the message of the story sunk in, I was off and running!  J

I thought “OMG, that is so awesome!”  And “A blank picture frame would make a totally awesome vision center!”

So off I went – in our home – in search of an empty picture frame I could set up for my Dad to begin visualizing himself happy and healthy.

When I found one, then my task was to find the perfect place to set it so he could see it every day, several times a day. 

The perfect location? 

The window sill above my kitchen sink – cuz he was there several times a day getting a drink of water.  J

As a mama, I spend quite a bit of time at the kitchen sink.  And now that school’s out for the summer, it seems like even more time is spent there!  (I’m so grateful my honey helps me with dishes cuz I’m really not a big lover of cooking and cleaning.  Lol!)

An interesting thing began to happen as the frame sat there. Each time I was at the sink, I found myself looking at the frame and visualizing myself happy, healthy and living the life of my dreams! (Dreaming Big Time baby! Yeah! )

Awesome!

My usual visualization time is while I’m taking a shower and getting ready in the morning which kick starts my day thinking happy thoughts (oh yeah) but these additional visualizations at the sink, holy smoly! They totally rocked! I found myself smiling from morning till night! Sweet!

Over the past several years I’ve played around with vision boards, creation boxes, visualization processes, creation alters and moon ceremonies.  And to me, all of them are quite yummy and fun.  They each hold a special place in my heart and infuse their own unique energy into my life.

So, I was pleasantly surprised when I noticed that this particular vision center had a very unique effect on me.

Maybe it’s the timing.

Maybe it’s the location.

Maybe it’s because I’ve surrounded it with things I appreciate.

Maybe…

Well, whatever it is, I’m loving it!

And I highly recommend, that you, my dear friend, set up a picture frame visualization center too!  Have fun with it!  Find a picture frame that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. (If you don’t have one in your home and don’t want to buy one, print out the picture of mine.) J  Set it all by its self or surround it with treasures. 

BTW – Just in case you’re wondering about my Dad, he’s doing better (and working closely with the healthcare providers of his choice)  I can’t say it’s cuz of the picture frame, just that my soul is filled to the edges with gratitude to the Divine for his health and happiness.