WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS, MAKE LEMONADE, continued

In my last post, I said that if life is giving you nothing but lemons, find as many things as you can to do with them.  That means being open minded about your choices.  That means looking beyond your previous experience to see what else there is.

Let's say you used to love skiing, but you can no longer balance or bear your weight on your feet.  There are special skis now that you can sit on.  Or maybe you can go sledding, or tobogganing.  How about sitting by the fire watching other people ski? Photographing skiers?  Teaching skiing?  I hear some of you thinking "But its not the same..."  True, its not.but it sure beats sitting at home doing nothing when the rest of the gang goes skiing without you. If you can no longer ski, which do you think will do you the most good- staying home moping, or finding an alternative activity?

I think the answer to that question is obvious, but how do you get past the "But its not the same..." thinking?  By deciding you want to.  Making comparisons to what you can no longer have will just keep you from enjoying what you can have. If you eat a lemon, hoping it will taste like an apple, you will be disappointed. If you eat the lemon knowing it is different, you may discover you really like lemons. Try alternative activities with an open mind, exploring the pleasures they provide, without comparing them to anything else. If one thing doesn't interest you, try something else.

You don't have to look for activities related to the one you want to replace.  You may replace skiing with scrapbooking, or sewing, sculpting or playing the saxaphone.  Be open to new ideas, talk to people, browse online or in a bookstore, or maybe in a sporting goods store or hobby shop.  Maybe there was something you enjoyed in the past that you can pick up again. There are always choices.