Commonplace idioms, phrases, and expressions have made it into our collective cultural consciousness for a reason - mainly since they hold some measure of truth for us. I used to think that they were trite and banal, but now (with the advantage of many, many life lessons) I recognize the wisdom mingled amongst them.
For instance, the phrase, "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade", while simple on the surface, holds great wisdom and offers insight not only into the situation, but also into the speaker. For me, the most important aspect of this phrase lies in the person using the phrase, rather than in the phrase itself. When this idiom enters into a conversation, the speaker reveals quite a bit about themselves. The person who offers up such a phrase is, at their core, an optimist, a glass-half-full kind of person. They obviously know that something is not exactly perfect with the situation at hand (hence the lemon part), but they prefer to focus on the positive aspects (the lemonade) and let the lemons and the pits fall by the wayside.
To me, it rarely helps to focus on the lemons (unless, of course, you are truly making lemonade!), since you cannot change what has happened, placing blame does not make the situation any better, and finding a solution is the only way to move forward. Besides, if we are truly in tune with the Universe, we know that everything happens for a reason (even if the reason is not readily apparent to us), and being distressed or upset about a situation only means that you do not have faith in the Universe. If we are willing to let things unfold as they are meant to, we can discover some really amazing things along the way.
It was one such lemony day at the cafe when by happy accident our Karmic Biscotti came into existence. A batch of our Karma Cookies (a scrumptious blend of oats, chocolate, and pecans) spent a little too long in the oven while Will was busy serving customers, and rather than simply throwing them out, we thought that we would try to make something of them. So, after dusting off my thinking cap, I decided to quickly cut them into smaller pieces while they were still warm and use them as biscotti. Thanks to that flash of inspiration from the Universe, they turned out to be quite a hit, even more popular than any other biscotti we had ever made before. Will was pleased that I did not pitch a hissy fit, and, best of all, he got to be the hero of the day as well as the proud creator of some delicious treats!
In the spirit of trusting the Universe and keeping my glass half full, I love making lemonade when the world hands me lemons. Of course, I also love to make Lemon Mousse, Blueberry Lemon Bread, Lemon Cheesecake, Blackberry Lemon Sauce, Veal in Lemon Sauce, Lemony Asparagus Soup, Hollandaise Sauce......
To me, it rarely helps to focus on the lemons (unless, of course, you are truly making lemonade!), since you cannot change what has happened, placing blame does not make the situation any better, and finding a solution is the only way to move forward. Besides, if we are truly in tune with the Universe, we know that everything happens for a reason (even if the reason is not readily apparent to us), and being distressed or upset about a situation only means that you do not have faith in the Universe. If we are willing to let things unfold as they are meant to, we can discover some really amazing things along the way.
It was one such lemony day at the cafe when by happy accident our Karmic Biscotti came into existence. A batch of our Karma Cookies (a scrumptious blend of oats, chocolate, and pecans) spent a little too long in the oven while Will was busy serving customers, and rather than simply throwing them out, we thought that we would try to make something of them. So, after dusting off my thinking cap, I decided to quickly cut them into smaller pieces while they were still warm and use them as biscotti. Thanks to that flash of inspiration from the Universe, they turned out to be quite a hit, even more popular than any other biscotti we had ever made before. Will was pleased that I did not pitch a hissy fit, and, best of all, he got to be the hero of the day as well as the proud creator of some delicious treats!
In the spirit of trusting the Universe and keeping my glass half full, I love making lemonade when the world hands me lemons. Of course, I also love to make Lemon Mousse, Blueberry Lemon Bread, Lemon Cheesecake, Blackberry Lemon Sauce, Veal in Lemon Sauce, Lemony Asparagus Soup, Hollandaise Sauce......
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