When life gives you lemons…Make grape juice and stand back and watch people wonder how you did it!

Life is full of adversities; let’s face it, things happen. Cars break down miles from a gas station, air conditions stop working right in the middle of triple digit weather, financial crisis always happen when you just paid your mortgage or car note. These are just some of the things that we have to constantly deal with in life.

The question is, how do you handle it? Do you do like most of us and begin to feel sorry for yourself and wonder “why me” or do you count each bad situation as a lesson learned in life. Well I will tell you this, I sometimes cry and say, “why me, what did I do to create this problem, how did I get to this place, why do bad things always happen to me” Sometimes I can just hear the violins.

Cheer up my friend; this is what’s called LIFE! Things happen, and guess what it just doesn’t happen to you, don’t flatter yourself, you’re not that special, things happen to all people of all races, genders, cultures and ages and oh yeah, even the wealthy people have issues or crisis.

What I am finding out is this; we can choose to allow our adversities to make us BETTER or BITTER. I was told that when life kicks you, make it kick you forward. That’s right, get something out of it, learn and grow from the bad experience, use it to make you better, you are not the exception, life isn’t picking on you, bad things happen to everybody.

I found out that sometimes a good cry really does help, I can’t think of how many times I have just had to sit and cry, it releases tension and stored up emotions. Now at some point you have to talk to yourself and say, get up from there! Blow your nose and wash your face and move on; that’s what you must do, don’t waddle in misery.

Ralph Blum said: “Nothing is predestined: the obstacles of your past can become the gateway that leads to new beginnings” allow your defeats to educate you. When you feel that you are at the end of your rope, you know what to do… yes, tie a knot in it and just hold on, I promise you someone is coming with the lifeboat shortly.

Life sometimes gives us lemons, but instead of making lemonade, I have decided to make grape juice, yes, I said grape juice!!! Learn to do the unexpected, figure out how to make grape juice and not lemonade from those lemons and I guarantee you that people will stand in awe and try to figure out how you made grape juice out of lemons.

Through the course of this life we will find that there are many road blocks, once you get to a road block, take the time to really think about the path you will take, will you make a right turn in your life or a wrong turn. Roadblocks sometimes allow us a chance to catch our breath and think about which direction we really want to go in.

Take a moment to breathe, and while you’re at it...have a glass of grape juice!

Vreed