“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”

Most of us are familiar with this famous phrase. It is primarily used to encourage optimism and a “yes, I can” attitude in the face of distress. Lemons suggest sourness or difficulty in life, and lemonade is known for its sweetness and providing refreshment. But, you need more than just lemons to make lemonade – right?

I consider social media to be a blessing and a curse. I consider it to be a blessing because it is a mechanism that can be used to interact with old acquaintances and acquire new ones. It has also proven itself to be a great source for sharing and displaying a plethora of topics and interests. And unfortunately with all of this free-range sharing, negativity and shaming also exists.

As I’ve done several times before, I read a post that caught my attention, and for the first time in a long time – I was offended by what I read. It wasn’t so much the words of the creator of the post that I found offensive, it was the people who made comments that offended me.

Ironically – or maybe it’s not so ironic, I had a conversation with a co-worker earlier that day about coping with life. We discussed the importance of maintaining ourselves in a positive way regardless of our circumstances. It is imperative that we do this because people will make judgments about us based on our appearance and how we conduct ourselves.

A few years ago I allowed bad circumstances, or lemons, to affect my job performance. During a conversation about my evaluation, the Human Resources representative made a statement that I didn’t appreciate. I expressed how difficult it was for me to cope with the demise of my marriage and the loss of my two babies. The representative responded by saying, “that is really awful, but you still need to do your job.” After the statement sunk in – and I took a few deep breaths, I realized she was right. Life had given me lemons and I needed to make lemonade.

When I make consumable lemonade, I mix the lemon juice with sugar and water. Much like life, we should mix difficulties with positivity and remembrance of past victories. By doing this, we realize that if we were able to overcome one bad situation we are capable of doing it again. And we can also see that mixing good with the bad can make something great. Which, brings me to the post.

The comments I read alluded to the idea that being plus-size or referred to as such is negative or an insult – lemons. Because I am plus-size and an advocate for body acceptance, I took offense to this idea. But, then I remembered a few things – sugar and water.

First and foremost, how others view me does not matter. I must hold a high opinion of myself regardless of what I may hear, see, or read that contradicts my thoughts. And instead of allowing the “lemons” to bring me down or make me sour – I must use the opportunity to promote and instill encouragement to all who battle with body image even more.

There needs to be the right balance of water, sugar, and lemon juice to make good lemonade. So, the next time you’re handed some lemons, find some good to mix with them and make some awesome lemonade.

Until the next time, be you and most importantly – love you.

Being uniquely you is being uniquely beautiful.

-B.B.