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A Recipe for Good Mood Lemonade

As we move into the most hot and muggy months of the year, many of us are filling our fridges with the classic drink of summer – lemonade. I love drinking it from a tall glass with lots of ice and my lime green straw. At times like these, it’s hard to imagine that this refreshing treat came from such a tiny, tart fruit.

Life’s lemons can be just as bitter as the real thing. After a job loss or a hurtful rejection, maybe someone has told you to “turn lemons into lemonade.” At the time, this phrase can seem almost as empty as the finished pitcher in my recycling bin. Everyone knows that lemons wouldn’t be as refreshing without the help of sugar; they don’t just turn on their own. But maybe the sugar doesn’t have to come from the bad times turning around.

When life gives me lemons (as it’s bound to do every once in a while), here’s my recipe for a good serving of lemonade:

• Two cups of planning: When a life event gets me down, one of the first places I turn to is my notebook. I know this sounds simple, but I truly feel that there is no problem that doesn’t have a solution. Maybe it’s not always the solution we want, and maybe we have to do some out-of-the-box thinking to get there, but going about life with that attitude really helps me stay positive when lemons come my way.
• A dash of lessons learned: Some of the best periods in my life have come after hard times. Maybe this is just a coincidence, but I also think that the lemons encourage me to learn from the mistakes I’ve made and help me grow as a person. Bad experiences also teach us that we are strong enough to weather life’s storms, which can be real confidence boost too.
• A tablespoon of friendship: When things aren’t going so well, sometimes I just want to keep it all to myself. But sharing our troubles is one of the many things that friends are for. Just having someone to whom you can tell your story that can listen and give you feedback and advice, really helps make those lemons taste a little less sour. Even if I’m not ready to talk about what’s going on, just having a night full of comedy films and cookie dough with a few of my good girlfriends can really help put me in a good mood.
• A lime green straw: The beauty really does lie in the details. Freshly painted nails, a coffee shop pastry, even cleaning out my purse – these things may not seem like much of a difference, but even one extra smile is a big deal on a bad day.

Enjoy the concoction, and don’t forget to stir before your first sip. If you’re like me, this post may have caused you to crave the real thing. Here’s one of my favorite lemonade recipes.

-Lisa