Positive Psychology

Often times we are asked to discuss the metaphorical lemons we've turned into lemonade along the way, but the truth is I have not really bit into that many sour lemons—even though I love lemonheads ;). I often put a slice of a lemon in my soda and the truth is I like drinking lemon juice straight out of the lemon shaped container. However, when it comes to life’s true lemons, I am comparatively famished; I have rarely experienced the bittersweet satisfaction derived from a healthy serving of life’s most trying difficulties.

It is true that I had to work hard in middle school and high school to get into Harvard, but on the whole my obstacles are neither noteworthy nor particularly unique. As I discussed in my first response paper, I did not always view the glass to be half-full, and deciding to approach life through a more positive prism has allowed me to sip the sweet nectar of fresh lemonade through a bottomless cup of vitality every day of my life. I have learned to approach the mundane with an eager eye. I taught myself to find pleasure where others often do not. Still, I occasionally wonder if this shift in outlook on is a worthy source of personal pride. I almost feel as if my life is not as meaningful because my road has been paved without many rocks, with few forks.

Many say that the severity of one’s struggle directly translates into the depth of personal satisfaction. I often wonder if the lemonade that I sip is not as delicious as the lemonade of others, because my input, my lemons, are not nearly as acerbic. After all, lemonade that is too sweet offends even the least sensitive taste buds.

My response to my good fortune comes in the form of gratitude and happiness. I express thanks to my family and friends. I rarely speak words of hate and am disappointed in myself when I do. In life, we are all given lemons, and even though mine have not been as bitter as others, we all are faced with the same decision sooner or later. Will we let our problems, no matter how big or how small, dominate our lives? Or will we roll up our sleeves, possibly get out a knife for slicing, and squeeze our lemons until we all have a fresh pitcher of lemonade that we can share with one another?

Unlike US Olympic athlete Gail Devers, I am not looking for hurdles. It is an event with which I am not familiar. However, I am positive that when I do encounter life’s more trying obstacles, I will not shy away. I will face these hurdles head on, and I will jump over them. Not with the celerity of Gail Devers per se, but at my own speed, and I am fine with that.