The phrase goes “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”, meaning take the sour parts of life and make them sweet. However, what happens when life gives you lemons but no sugar or water to add to them? Or what happens when the lemon squirts you in the eye while you’re trying to cut it; I doubt you’ll be in the lemonade mood after that. It’s easy to be positive with a glass of lemonade, but what about when all you’ve got is a lemon...
One of my goals this summer is to become a more positive person. I think being positive is one of the most underrated traits there is, especially in an academic environment. I have found that there is a fine line between critical thinking and complaining. I have learned to be very good at challenging my surroundings and pointing out what is wrong, and, while that does take thought, I believe it takes much more discernment to look at a situation and decide whether it needs fixing or supporting.
It is incredibly difficult to be a positive person in today’s world. There is so much to be negative about: genocide, ISIS, the lack of human rights worldwide, the destruction of the environment, unemployment, people leaving, price of higher education, Trump vs. Hillary, the destruction of the village parking lot at SAU. And yet, despite all of these things, I can choose to be positive.
I believe that being positive is rooted in thankfulness. If I can be thankful in my present situation, then I look on it positively. I learned a lot about this during my cross cultural to India in January. India instilled a sense of gratefulness that I had never had before. I was grateful for simple conveniences like real toilets, orderly people who can stand in lines, and airplanes that are reliable. I was grateful for significant things in my life, such as living in a community surrounded with people who love and care for me, people who listen to me and value what I say, and a place where I can be respected and taken seriously. I was also surprised by things I became thankful for; things I had never really thought about, like a government that enforces traffic laws, or not having to think twice about going out alone as a woman. America has many faults, but the fact that I can feel safe where I live is no small detail, and it’s something that not everybody has.
It all comes down to choosing to be present. How can I be thankful or positive if I am wishing to be somewhere, sometime, or someone else? I don’t need to be blind to all the problems that I can see, but rather know what is and is not in my control. There are so many helpful and positive things I can do, I don’t need to be bombarded by the problems that are bigger than me. I only need to act on the lemons I am given and the first step to making lemonade is just to be thankful for the lemon.
