Do you know how to make lemonade?

Making the best out of bad situations

Last weekend I traveled to Alabama to deliver two workshops. On Sunday, my flight to Dallas was delayed causing me to miss my connection to LA. The only flight after was completely full and I faced the situation of getting stuck in Dallas for the night. This would not have been good for a variety of reasons. I happen to post my concern on facebook and a friend replied commenting what happened to her in a similar situation. I acted prompted, calling the airlines, getting placed on standby for a flight into an alternate airport, and made a car reservation so that I would have a way to get home. I got home 30 minutes later than anticipated, but I better than not getting home at all.

Back in 2002, my family was in shock after learning the guy who killed my father in a hit-and-run accident could only spend a maximum of two years in jail under the current NY State law. My brother Chris led a movement that resulted in the law being changed to a minimum of seven years. Even though the law would not be retroactive to our situation, future families could feel better justice if faced with similar situations.

These two situations are quite different in terms of lasting affect, but both were real crappy and neither was expected. I could still be bitter about either, but I’m not. A few weeks back someone said my experiences sometimes relied on pure luck. Even though I attest that luck plays a factor in some situations, how I chose to deal with them is not luck. It’s not easy each time, but I look for the silver lining on the cloud. My perspective is why should I take the path of misery? I figure enough people are unhappy and too many are already complaining. I realize I cannot change the world, but I do have an immediate effect on those around me.

We are here at a difficult time in our nation’s history. We’ve got a new president who is making decisions with which some may not agree. We’ve got an economy that has us feeling no difference between watching our bank accounts and riding a roller coaster. Certain things are within our control and those are things are the ones we need to focus on making better. My friend Ray always reminds me “if you’re not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem.” Do you agree? Do you make lemonade or do you complain when forced to deal with lemons?