When Life Gives Us Lemons

I’m not going to lie. This week was a tough one. Starting with Monday. When I started writing this post that day, I felt so defeated by 11am. 

The thing is, I didn’t wake up like that. I woke up Monday morning with the best of intentions for the day. I did all the things I was “supposed” to do… I woke up grateful and aware. I woke up thanking the Universe for all of the things. You name it, I was grateful for it. I even went through my entire day in my head.

Then I got out of bed. I found out a friend had passed. Then I had a terrible disagreement with someone I love very much. Then, to my chagrin, I let everything consume me. Which is easy to do, even when we attempt to teach ourselves and others the opposite. We are human. And life-ing sometimes is no joke. 

So I just broke down. I was sad. I was hurt. I was angry. And my Monday turned into one that wasn’t as productive as I had anticipated.

I’m aware enough to see that not everything is meant to be understood. I know we will lose people we love. It sucks and it hurts. And when disagreements arise, I know we don’t always see things from another’s perspective, and vice versa.

So I asked myself, “How do we live in a state of gratitude when we are feeling heavy, heavy shit?”

First, if you are feeling any of these feelings or if you find yourself spiraling, please know you are not alone. We all do it. I don’t care what things look like on the outside, we all struggle sometimes. I am grateful for the people I trust to share my feelings and just hear me. Make sure you have your people around in times like these. We really do need outside perspective to help shift our energy out of funk we can get in. In the case of losing a loved one, I am so grateful for the time I got to spend with Jesse. I learned a lot from him over the years. He will be missed by so many. I do believe his spirit will forever live on.

Second, do your absolute best to pivot. I know this may sound impossible in moments of hurt or anger, but these emotions serve as guidance. It is impossible to avoid them. Hell, even Jesus turned tables at one point. But when we understand that something is not sitting well with us, when we have a trigger moment, it gives us a chance to reflect on ourselves, and maybe dig into where the root of where these emotions and fears come from. This gives us an opportunity to do some deep healing. It's easy to hurt the people we love most at times. Reflection, understanding, and forgiveness go a long way in growing and healing.

Third, I took some time and rather than numb myself from what I was feeling, or shame myself because of my emotions, I sat with them. And I prayed. And I asked for guidance. And then I felt a little peace. And then a little more peace. And then, I had some stillness. I made a decision to think about all the good that can potentially come out of all of it. I was able to have a bit of clarity, even if it was just by saying, “I don’t know. And I don’t have to know right now.” The Universe has a way of always having our back. If you choose to view things from that perspective, there is always an energy shift.

Things will not be hard forever. If the majority of things are swinging that way, it’s definitely time to perhaps take a deep dive on that. And those often tend to suck. But they’re worth it. I promise. Work on ourselves is ALWAYS worth it. 

Life gives us lemons. But the key is to remember they are a great source of the good things we need. It’s all in what we do with them.

I love you.

Lindsay M

PS. Next week starts the third annual 30 Days of Gratitude. I'm adding Inspiration to this year! One video a day on my socials. I promise to not bombard your email 😉 Be sure you're a part of the movement! 👈👈👈