Lemonade

When I was a kid, a year seemed too short. As soon as one summer vacation ended, I started marking days off my calendar for the next summer. We planned thinking next summer would be exactly what we wanted it to be, and for the most part that’s exactly what happened. But now one round around the sun can change lives drastically.

I have always loved the idea of romanticizing my life. A year ago things were drastically different. I had my life perfectly mapped out. I had left no room for any sort of uncertainty let alone a pandemic. 

[blockquote text=” When life gives you a lemon, make lemonade. Life will be like ‘WHAT’ ” text_color=”” width=”” line_height=”undefined” background_color=”” border_color=”” show_quote_icon=”yes” quote_icon_color=”#4285F4″] 

Certain things come our way over which we have no control. Obstacles are created, and it’s left on us to create new paths. Our reaction to this decides if lemon will be acidic or we will receive a desirable lemonade. I had pictured my life sitting on a sidewalk, drenched in sun, drinking chilly lemonade. Little did I know, things will be different, yet giving me the same amount of pleasure. 

 

A year ago, I pictured this: I would be moving to Sydney to finish up my studies. I would get tons of opportunities to travel and explore. I would be working with some successful entrepreneurs in Sydney with the help of whom I will be able to develop myself. I would be having the time of my life, living on my own, enjoying myself with my friends. I would feel invincible. I would have my life sorted. I mean cause life has to go like I planned right?

It felt like a huge slap to my face when plans changed overnight. I knew I was in a desperate need to distract myself, and in that desperation, I joined The Enterprise India Fellowship. I started working on different projects when it dawned on me how inaccurate was my perception. I worked on several projects, and each time I did I peeled a layer. Running a business is like an onion. There are so many layers I need to peel before I reach the core. 

 

Since I had a lot of time on my hands, I worked on a lot of projects, which mainly involved me working with a lot of different people each time. Initially, it seemed annoying because as soon as I become comfortable with someone the project came to an end, and I had to the befriending process from scratch. However, until recently I realized how fortunate I was. I learned so much from my peers. From a tech guru, I learned how to create a website, from a punctual guy, I learned how to adhere to time, from a child enthusiast, I learned about child psychology, and from few kind souls, I learned the power of patience and understanding. 

These learning experiences have left a lasting impact on me.

 “It was the best of times,

it was the worst of times “

I was keeping myself busy because I didn’t want to deal with my emotions, and my disappointment of things not happening according to plan. I kept myself busy, but somehow I couldn’t take on work to avoid all my emotions altogether. There were times I felt anxiety setting in due to the uncertainty. I was angry with the universe. However, I had no other choice, but to deal with it. This forced me to face, acknowledge and work towards my emotions. I started expressing gratitude towards the things I already had. 

Every day when I said my gratitude I realized I am not really prioritizing the people in my life or the things I am doing. I got very restless and I knew I had to turn things around.  At that time, it was really hard to let go of the habits and people I was comfortable with, but now a couple of months later I am happy to see I am focusing on things I want rather than things I dont want. 

Sitting here I dont recognize my former life. In a year quite literally every aspect of my life has changed, for the better. Now I feel like I am on my path. MY Path. The path of building myself. The path of working towards my goal. The path of not giving up in adversity. The path of always being a work in progress. This path makes me feel at ease. Sure of my overall direction, if not every individual twist and turn.

 

Life will continue giving me lemons, but it was my responsibility to look for water and sugar to make the best lemonade for me.