Lemons
A few years ago, I bought a car from an individual who didn’t tell me the whole truth. I loved the car, and it was everything I ever wanted, but it turned out to be a lemon. I didn’t know up front that it had a rebuilt title, meaning that at one time, an insurance company had totaled it out because it had been wrecked. This car went through back tires every two weeks. If I didn’t know how to change a tire before this car, I definitely knew after. I changed so many tires I could have worked at the tire shop for a part-time job. Each day I would watch as the tread wore thinner and thinner on the tires. Each day I prayed I could make it until payday before needing another one. “I don’t have the money for this,” I thought to myself every time I would hear that dreaded humming that meant another rock had punctured the paper thin tire. I often asked how I could be so stupid when it came to decisions like this. Why hadn’t I looked that title over more? Why hadn’t I researched my car better? Why couldn’t I just marry rich? (I still think that one pretty often). So many questions, and so little patience I had for the situation I was in at the moment.
Eventually, I was able to get another vehicle and sell the “lemon” to someone who had the time to fix it. They say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. But I wonder if sometimes we are given lemons to just suck on for a minute. You know, to sit there and really take in the bitterness of the situation we are in. To step back and take the time to assess it for ourselves. Saying things like, “If I had only brought sugar,” or “if I only had a pitcher with me.” In every situation where I’m forced to suck on a lemon though, I always come out better for it. Sometimes life gives us lemons to teach us the life skills we will eventually need to make life’s lemonade. My situation taught me to be more thorough with car purchases. It taught me the ins and outs of plugging, patching, and changing a tire, and it also taught me that the Carfax is worth the $25!
A few weeks ago I was sitting in the Walmart Auto center, awaiting the mechanic’s decision on whether the tire could be fixed or not. A tiny rock, no bigger than the tip of my finger had punctured my tire right in the middle of the tread. “Surely they can patch it,” I thought to myself. He came through the door, rolling the tire to show me that the tiny little rock had done extensive damage to the belt inside of the tire. My entire mood changed. My bill had just gone from $15 to $150 in an instant. “I don’t have time for this,” I thought to myself as I sat there, sucking on one of life’s lemons. It was bitter, sour, unpleasant, and I didn’t like it one bit. In my head I thought about the events of that morning and knew that before pulling into that parking lot, I thought I had heard a faint hum coming from my tires. My pressure light wasn’t on, so I never even checked them when I got out. That rock was a small reminder that I should check on things a little better from now on. It was also a small flashback of my curse when it comes to flat tires.
I have been in many situations where I had to suck on lemons. I didn’t like it, and I still don’t. But, sometimes in order to enjoy that lemonade, we have to get through some bitter times. So tonight, if you are sucking on a lemon, just know that it’s part of the process. Maybe you’re dealing with a flat tire. Maybe you are dealing with something much more complex. No matter how big or small the lemon is, it’s still sour. We can all relate when it comes to lemons. Keep going, your lemonade is almost ready for production.
Peace, love, & blessings.
-B
