Cultivating a “Make Lemonade” Mindset

As summer wanes and September and a new school year is just weeks away, I keep thinking of ways to keep a positive attitude and a sunny disposition.  I never particularly liked the proverb, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”  It was just too neat and cute for my taste.  I’m not saying it’s not true, not the best way to look at overcoming adversity or struggle, but it seemed a little too simplistic to me.  The phrase was first coined by Elbert Hubbard in 1915.  He came up with the phrase to describe the life of a vaudeville performer, Marshall Pinckney Wilder who overcame the adversity of being born with dwarfism to become a successful comedic actor.  Hubbard said of Wilder, “He picked up the lemons that fate had sent him and started a lemonade stand.”  This is profound indeed, and something many can relate to.  It gives people the power to rise from their circumstances and have hope in taking control over their lives.

So, with that in mind, cultivating a “Make Lemonade” mindset is very appealing to me.  I work with children who have learning differences and developing this kind of mindset is essential to them keeping motivated and engaged.  I want to provide them with a path that says, “Okay, it’s hard for you to do this one way.  What other ways can you create to help yourself?  What can you do with what you know to be successful?”  Presenting children with a “Make Lemonade” path, is very empowering.  It’s something they can readily visualize and feel that they can do.  They often enjoy the challenge. Gradually, they begin to regard setbacks or obstacles as opportunities to grow and create.  They start thinking, “I’m experiencing this problem.  What can I do to change it?”  It becomes a creative process instead of point of frustration.  They learn to be resilient and confident that they can solve any problem large or small.

On a recent day trip to Princeton, the weather was super-summer hot.  I drove past two boys selling lemonade in front of their house.  Now, these weren’t little boys, these were teenagers, which is not the norm.  Usually, lemonade sellers are young children with handmade signs and mothers sitting on a porch nearby.  These teenage lemonade vendors were savvy marketers.  They were hawking gourmet lemonade infused with homemade strawberry simple syrup – to die for on a hot August day.  All the proceeds went to charity, they said.  They looked like a truthful pair, and their lemonade was superb.  Their concoction spurred me to go home and experiment with my own choices of simple syrups.  It also made me think of a summer in my teenage years when I traveled to Italy with my parents and older sister.  I remember driving along the Amalfi coast and marveling at the countryside and the roadside lemon stands.  I never saw lemons quite like these, and people were standing at the side of the road peeling lemons and eating them like we do oranges.  There were also giant lemons larger than grapefruits and shaped like footballs. They had a bumpy yellow rind.  I asked my mother what they were ,and she said they were citrons grown in Sorrento. This was all quite a surprise and a memory I never forgot. 

So as August quickly sprints towards September, I will keep in mind the bright scent of lemons, the luscious taste of fruited lemonade, and continue to develop my “make lemonade” mindset.  There are five key ways I plan to continue my summer lemon-yellow positivity. 

1. I will start each day with a positive affirmation, such as, “I can make people smile today.”  This will set the tone for my whole day and make me feel cheerful.

2. I will end every day with a simple list of things for which I’m grateful.

3.  At the times when I need my spirits lifted, I will pause and do something I enjoy. It can be simple things like going for a walk, smelling scented candles, reading a book, or listening to my favorite songs.

4. I will be mindful that every day I have the great privilege to serve children.  As I boost them up, they give me back so much more in return. 

5. I will regularly and intentionally celebrate all the positive things I’ve accomplished.

Come Make Gourmet Fruited Lemonade

Fruited Simple Syrup Ingredients

• ⅔ cup water
• ⅔ cup white sugar
• 1 cup raspberries or strawberries or blackberries or blueberries or watermelon

Fresh Lemonade Ingredients

• ·   6 large lemons
• ·   8 cups water, or more as needed

Directions

1. Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in raspberries, and mash with a potato masher or fork. Let steep for at least 1 hour.
2. Drain mixture through a fine mesh strainer, pressing raspberry pulp with a spatula to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids and store syrup in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
3. Start by firmly rolling the lemons around on the counter. This will help release the juices and make your job a lot easier. Cut the lemon in half crosswise, then squeeze out the juice by hand or with a juicer.
4. Make sure to juice the lemons over a large measuring cup so you can see exactly how much liquid you have.
5. Pour 8 cups of cold water into a large pitcher. Stir in lemon juice and pulp, then add simple syrup to taste. Serve over ice.

Books About Cultivating a “Make Lemonade” Mindset

• Alex and the Amazing Lemonade Stand by Jay and Liz Scott
• Make a Stand: When Life Gives You Lemons, Change the World! By Vivienne Harr and Alexandra Harr (8-year-old author)
• The Lemonade Hurricane: A Story of Mindfulness and Meditation by Licia Morelli
• The Lemonade Ripple: A Sweet Story about Kindness and Charity by Paul Reichert
• When Grandma Give You a Lemon Tree by  Jamie L.B. Deenihan and Loraine Rocha
• When Life Gives You Lemonade ( The Lemonade Series) by Kyle Casey
• When Life Give You Lemons, Make a Lemonade Stand by Lyndsay Adryanna Richardson (Editor)

Books About Making Lemonade

• Cooler Than Lemonade: A Story About Great Ideas and How They Happen by Harshita Jerath and Chloe Bergett
• Curious George Lemonade Stand by H.A. Rey
• Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy by KeriAnne N. Jelinek
• Froggy’s Lemonade Stand by Jonathan London
• Gracie’s Lemonade Stand by Lemonade Stand Kids
• It Began with Lemonade by Gideon Sterer and Lian Cho
• Lemonade for Sale by Stuart J. Murphy and Tricia Tusa
• Lemonade in Winter: A Book About Two Kids Counting Money by Emily Jenkins and G. Brian Karas
• Maisy Makes Lemonade by Lucy Cousins
• Pinkalicious and the Pink Drink by Victoria Kann
• Splat the Cat and the Lemonade Stand by Rob Scotton
• The Berenstain Bears’ Lemonade Stand by Mike Berenstain
• The Lemonade Club by Patricia Polacco
• The Lemonade War (Chapter Book Series) by Jacqueline Davies