Lemons, Cats, Pink Houseshoes, and Mini Malls

Lemonade Tin Sign
Buy at AllPosters.com

My grandmother often used the saying, “Take the lemons that life gives you and make lemonade.” When I was younger I always thought it was something that grandmothers were required to say - one of their peppy little mantras. I was certain that my own grandmother came up with this particular mantra and I remember being shocked when I read the line in a book. I hope I didn’t look at the cover to make sure she didn’t write the book, but I’m not promising anything.

I took this old saying out of the attic this morning and dusted it off. To be very precise, I dusted it off at 5:14 am - when our 18 year old cat, Prissy, woke me up. She normally wakes me up around 7:00, but occasionally she mistakes the 5 for a 7 and I begin my day when the Clampetts begin theirs. As I stumbled toward her Whiska’s cat food, trying to put my fuzzy pink houseshoes on along the way (it makes it tougher when you can’t find where you misplaced your feet) - it occured to me, “I’ve wanted to start getting up earlier….Prissy actually did me a favor rather than a grave injustice.” When I bent over to pet her head - which I found with more ease than I did my own feet - she was purring as though she all ready knew it.

That’s when I went to my mind’s attic for the lemony quote - right before I did my morning yoga. Prissy’s younger sister, Alexa (3), was so interested in the movements of the pink houseshoes that she forgot entirely about eating. After 30 minutes, I had my coffee, checked my e-mail, put the living room back together (a 19 year old watching tv late at night can have the effect of a tornado), updated a site, read the morning news, and glanced at the clock. It was the time I normally would have been getting up. Awesome! I felt like I’d really gotten away with something - as though perhaps I’d outsmarted that old fox, Father time.

Sometimes the things we’re absolutely certain are bad turn out to be good in disguise. We were living a comfortable, cozy life in New Albany, Indiana years ago - my husband, our daughters, and our cats. We were renting a bick brick house with a yard the size of a Parking lot. Then, it became a parking lot. A mini-mall moved in, forcing us to move out. At the time it seemed like it was the worst thing possible. Our comfortable little life was uprooted and we were shaken and swirled like milkshake in a blender!

 What seemed, at the time, to be the worst thing that could have happened to us proved to be the best thing that could have happened to us. We went on to see things, do things, and experience things that we never, ever would have done if our comfortable little life hadn’t been shaken. We would have stayed comfortable and would have missed SO MUCH! If Miss Prissy hadn’t come calling this morning so early - I would have stayed comfortable, but I would have missed so much. Being comfortable isn’t all it’s cracked up to be - it simply doesn’t lead anywhere worth going.

The next time life (whether it’s in the form of an elderly cat you love with all your heart or a mini mall that covets your front yard) takes you out of your comfort zone, smile the biggest smile you have in your R’epertoire. After all, when you’re given a ticket for an exciting ride, shouldn’t you have a smile on your face?

Related posts:

1. Motivating Mini Mantras for 2008 - A Challenge!     Sometimes a short, simple affirmation…or mantra…can make a...
2. Always Keep Your Humor Nearby And Apply, as Needed, and It’s Always Needed “Life is a joke. The only way to survive it...
3. Crawling Off Of the Couch While working on a post for Office Freaks, I came...
4. Time Management Tips That Actually Make Sense! There's a blog post that I'd love for you to...
5. Opening the World Under Your Roof The only thing I hate about being one of the...