When life gives you lemons...

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS…

When life gives you lemons, don't just make lemonade, start a lemonade stand! Confused about what it means? Let me explain.

When life becomes sour and deprived of happiness, instead of only making lemonade (happiness) for yourself out of these lemons (sadness), start up a lemonade stand to spread the positivity to everyone around you and help them face the sourness.

Let me explain with a fictitious example:

Chris wakes up everyday with a smile on his face. His life is perfect. But you couldn't say that for the rest of the people in his neighborhood. Most of them were too busy with their jobs. They were always complaining and never failed to look on the negative side of life. Their lives were dull and just straight up sad. Chris really didn't feel much for them. His life was good and that's what mattered. One day, everything went downhill for Chris, he had met up with an accident which cost him his legs. Everything below his waist was paralyzed. Chris was bound to a wheelchair. He was nothing but a groaning zombie on wheels. He became like the rest of the people in his neighborhood...colorless and devoid of happiness. A few days after he was discharged from the hospital, Chris started trying things he hadn't thought of doing before. He realized things about himself that he never knew before, like how great he was in art and public speaking. He started looking on the bright side of things and started enjoying life again. But this wasn't enough for him. His time in the hospital made him understand how the other people in his neighborhood felt, too busy looking at the negative aspects and making their life seem the worst. From then onward, he spread the power of positivity to everyone around him and encouraged them to be more optimistic and to try out something new once in a while, who knew? Maybe they might like it. 

We should all be like Chris. All of us should spread positivity and make our whole community a happy place.

So remember, "When Life Gives You Lemons.....Start a Lemonade Stand."  

CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR…

Danny was your average school boy. He studied well, got good grades and had many friends. He was skilled at sports as well. But Danny felt like his life was boring and nothing fun ever happened. He was never happy with what he had. While his friends wished they could be like him, he wished his life could have a little bit more fun in it.

One day, as Danny was lounging on his recliner, playing Call of Duty on his brand new gaming console, his mom came into his room with a red colored envelope. “Honey, you got an invitation for Patrick’s birthday party. It’s an outdoor barbecue and it starts at seven pm tomorrow. Shall I tell him that you will be there?” “Of course. Finally, there is something fun to do for the weekends”

Danny rang the doorbell. He could hear the loud music from the backyard. Patrick’s mother opened the door. “Oh Hi Danny, so glad you could make it. The party’s in the backyard. Go and have some fun.”

The music was blaring from the speakers. Everybody seemed to be having fun, but not Danny. This wasn’t Danny’s kind of party. His idea of a good party was playing on the Xbox with his friends with some pizza and some music playing which has a good beat to it. Danny went up to the roof of the house to just chill for a bit. He saw a shooting star zooming across the sky. In movies, the actors normally make a wish and it usually comes true. “I wish…”said Danny, “that my life would have more fun and thrill in it. I want my life not to be boring but have a little bit more pizazz in it”. Danny expected something to happen, but nothing really did. He felt like a complete idiot. He went downstairs to where everybody was dancing and just decided to make the most of it. Suddenly, the birthday boy, Patrick came up to him and asked, “Yo Danny ma boi. Ma parents bought me a brand new Xbox for ma bday. Since ur the pro at such stuff, wanna help me start it up?” “I’d love to!” screamed Danny. Finally things seemed to be looking up for him.

After a few rounds of Call Of Duty, Patrick challenged Danny to a pizza eating contest. Danny was so happy. Of course, Patrick won, but Danny still had a great time. “Hey Dans, wanna go up to the roof and jump into the pool!” “Wait Wha-” Danny didn’t have time to even complete his sentence. Patrick took him up to the roof and challenged him to jump into the pool. Everybody gathered behind Patrick and started chanting “JUMP! JUMP! JUMP!” Danny didn’t want to look like a chicken in front of his whole grade (Peer pressure is not a good thing kids), nor did he want to jump in the pool. He had no choice. He went up to the edge of the roof, getting ready to jump into the pool. “Danny!” called Patrick. Danny looked back. “What?” he asked. “Fooled you!!!” everybody screamed. Danny was confused. “Wait What!” screamed Danny. “I saw u coming up the roof.” Said Patrick. “U wished u could have a little bit more thrill in ur life Danny ma boi, well think again. There are many children in this world who don’t even have half of what u have. Yet u wish for more.” Danny understood his mistake. He thanked Patrick and the others for helping him correct himself. Danny never wished for more and more and was always happy with what he had. In fact he convinced his parents to do more charity for the less privileged. Danny even gave his friends advice when they wished for more and more. He said to them “Careful what you wish for.”

It's what's in the heart that matters

It's What is in the Heart That Matters

Jason was late. He didn’t want to create a bad reputation for himself in the second week of his new school. People on the streets glared and shouted at him as he ran. He was used to this, even when he wasn’t doing anything stupid. He had just moved from Africa to his new neighborhood in America. Yes, Jason was coloured. He dealt with racism almost every day. He was bullied a lot in school, made fun of in public and had no friends.

His family moved to America because of how poverty stricken their neighborhood was back in Africa. There was only ten more minutes to school! Jason decided to take a shortcut through alleyway. He stopped right in front of the alleyway when he saw five bullies beat up an innocent kid. These were the same bullies who had beaten up Jason on his first day of school. Part of him wanted to run away, part of him wanted to stay and fight. At the end, Jason chose the most judicious option…. To fight.

“Stop it!” he shouted at the bullies. “Make us!” one of the bullies shouted back. The leader of the gang ran toward Jason and tried to punch him in the face. Jason answered back with a block and a jab right into the bully’s face. The bully collapsed, and his cronies saw this and ran for their lives. Jason had been learning kickboxing tutorials from YouTube for self-defense. Jason went to help the bullied kid up. The kid looked up at Jason. “Why would you help me?” he asked. “Why wouldn’t I?” I asked back. “You are coloured. After all the things we have done to you, you still came to help me. Why?” Jason told the boy, “You are white, I am black. So what? What we are on the outside is not important; It’s what is in the heart that matters”