A Circular Philosophy of Lemons

"When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!"  We've all heard this line before in a variety of twists.  Basically this phrase is meant to show or promote optimism but can also be parodied into a million phrases.  This fascination in lemons brewed while  I was watching the movie "Love Happens" and the opening line was:

Sometimes, despite your best efforts otherwise, life will give you lemons. When that happens, you've got two choices, friend: you can wear a sour face or make lemonade.

This quote lead me into a research frenzy on the lemon/lemonade phrase. Several others followed easily such as lemon phrases that explained that lemons alone weren't enough, suggesting they should also be given sugar or even vodka to ensure a desirable end product.

I believe that if life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade and try to find somebody whose life has given them vodka and have a party. - Ron White

Oddly enough this research lead me through enough outlooks to create a "lemon philosophy".  Consider one of my favorites:

I'm a realist. I try not to romanticise reality. You know? When life gives you lemons . . . you probably just found lemons. - Bo Burnham

So does life give you lemons or did you just find them?  Are lemons enough or do you need other ingredients?  Do we have the right to refuse lemons?

When life gives you lemons, just say "Fuck the lemons" and bail." - Forgetting Sarah Marshall movie

Let's turn the word lemons into challenges while we analyze.  If life hands you (or you found) a bad relationship, life of a single parent, loss of a job, death or illness, etc.  I believe we have the right to want to refuse, deny, complain or whatever emotion feels right.  Otherwise labeled as "Fuck the lemons", "wait for some sugar" or "find somebody with vodka". 

So life gave us a challenge is the first line, but eventually we do need to move on to the next step of the equation, "Make Lemonade".  We can't continue to hate the lemons/challenges . . . how do we move forward?  I think the complexity I find in this phrase is that of the Lemonade which is the opportunity of past, present and future.  Since the lemonade could have been great in the beginning it's today's actions or mid-course corrections that define the future of that lemonade.   If life gives us lemons, do we have to settle or end with lemonade? 

Depending on your situation lemonade might be right or maybe the lemonade was good but now it's time to infuse a little sugar, time continues and perhaps we need to infuse some vodka.  Hence the past, present and future.  It is what it is and it is what we make it.  What we want today might be that lemon we are handed.  What we want tomorrow might be different, perhaps an orange. 

"Dave, haven't you ever heard of the expression  . . . When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, and then throw it in the face of the person who gave you the lemons until they give you the oranges you originally asked for?" - News Radio

I think we are being handed lemons daily, yet we only use this phrase for the worst case scenarios as reminders to others to be optimistic.  Why not just slap that person you are telling to make lemonade, it's the same effect initially.

Our lives are one big lemon, the people we meet - lemons; the jobs offered - lemons; additions/losses to family - lemons.  Lemons equal challenges.  We don't look at daily life as challenges but we do (or should) look at everyday as an opportunity. 

Loose the label of challenge and change it to opportunity.  Each day with your child(ren) you have the opportunity to teach something new or learn something new.  Each day in a relationship or job we have the opportunity to enjoy it, improve or abandon and move on.  I think perhaps the challenge/opportunity are really the lemons and the lemonade is life.  As the lemons can't always be lemons since we shouldn't make the same mistake twice and our life changes, grows and evolves, much like the first try at a recipe might require some additions or deletions. 

Life handed me a lemon, I made lemonade . . . it wasn't right so I added a cranberry and it still wasn't right , so I'm out to find some sugar, vodka, whatever is right . . . so I know my lemonade isn't just made of lemons it's the "spice of life" that would make our metaphorical lemonade the most colorful - since weather it is wrong or right to someone else, it's just right for your own lemonade/life.  Are we settling for just lemons or could we handle further challenges in life to find those additional ingredients that could make the lemonade so special?  The real question is "are you happy with your lemonade?"  It's not a right or wrong question it's just a circular Sarah philosophy to have fun with!