Embrace Your Inner Lemon (part 2)

Lemon tree, very pretty 

And the lemon flower is sweet,

But the fruit of the poor lemon,

Is impossible to eat. 

from "Lemon Tree" by Peter, Paul and Mary 

So goes the song, but I disagree.   

Want a great summer drink? Lots of lemons, sugar and water gives you lemonade.  Blend the fruit with some sugar, eggs and custard and put it in a crust and you’ve got a fabulous pie.  Blend some lemon juice with a bit of flour, powdered sugar, and a few other things and you have a delicious lemon bar.  And notice this about these recipes: They all have sugar in common.  Just add a bit of sugar to the poor little lemon and it becomes a treat.

Let’s extend the metaphor we discussed in “Embrace Your Inner Lemon (part 1)”: let’s say that the lemon is your worst fault, and sugar is love.  Corny? Yeah, I know, but think about it:  You start adding love to your, or anyone else's, faults and you’ve got understanding, empathy, compassion, and peace of mind.   

Nothing could be sweeter than that.

You want to make something of it?

If you’re handed a lemon, make lemonade. Such a cliche.  Like it’s easy to change your point of view, your judgments, and your ideas of what’s best for you.

Why is it so hard to modify our views about ourselves; why we’re here, what we’re about, what we prefer, and what we hate? 

We have a tale we've been telling ourselves about who we SHOULD be. So often we don't measure up to the hero (ourselves) of our story, and when we don't, we fight our self like a snake eating its tail.  It’s a painful thing to do. 

What a relief it would be to completely accept whatever is going on in our lives and who we really are.  How great it would be love and accept what we dislike about ourselves: our weight, our looks, the state of our money, our children, our accomplishments or lack of them.

Whatever we’re objecting to about ourselves, that’s our lemon.  Lemons smell sweet, are a beautiful color, and they make a terrific drink!  Embrace your inner lemon.  You’ll feel better.