Homemade Lemonade

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. With my house up for sale and real estate agents telling us to decorate our kitchen with a big bowl of lemons, the old saying has become very literal for me. I can't believe that after all this time and preparation, the very long process of putting our family home up for sale is nearing its end. Despite how long we've been preparing for this both mentally and physically, it's still a pretty sour situation. I'm not gonna lie, it totally sucks spending your last few months with your home/pool surrounded by painters, contractors, bickering family members, and real estate agents, all the while being prepared to up and drop everything at a moments notice to prep the house for spontaneous showings. I hate it. I hate that the place that I've called my home for my whole life will soon be someone else's, I hate how unclear my future looks right now, and, worst of all, I hate to see how all of this is affecting my parents. I've never been that person who has the right thing to say to offer words of comfort, so instead I always turn to food and drinks to express my compassion. So after a week of glaring at that damn bowl of lemons with distain, a constant reminder of the flux my family and I are all in, I yanked out the dusty citrus juicer and went through almost the entire bowl of lemons to make a pitcher of refreshing lemonade.

Having never made lemonade from scratch before, I was surprised at how easy it was to turn that lip puckeringly sour lemon juice into a sweet and delicious outdoor bevvie. Squeezing those lemons turned out to be pretty therapeutic for me, just as everything else I've cooked or baked in the past month have helped to sooth me. That saying kept repeating in my head: "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade", ie. when life hands you a sour situation, it's in your hands to turn it into something sweet. Despite the chaos in my life right now, deep down I know that this is all for the best. I know my family needs to move on, I know that this change will help to take myself and my family in the direction we need to go, and I know that in the end this experience will help me grow. The situation isn't going to change, so it's up to me to change how I perceive it and turn it into something positive. No, it's certainly not going to be as easy as making lemonade, but at 24 years old, I know the importance of trucking along, looking for the best in every situation, and learning from each experience I go through.

With the stress of work, home, family, and health on our minds, those few moments in my backyard with my mom, sipping on ice cold lemonade in the sun, helped to take our minds of all of the sour for just a moment and appreciate something sweet.

Note: I like some lemon pulp in my lemonade, but if you prefer yours pulp-free, simply strain it out with your seeds.

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup lemon juice (about 6 lemons), with pulp
3-4 cups cold water
lemon slices, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan set to medium heat, add the sugar and 1 cup water, stir to combine and cook until sugar has dissolved (about 5 minutes).  Remove from heat, transfer to a container and chill. This is called a simple syrup and can be added to sweeten any cold drink.
2. Make the lemonade by pouring the lemon juice and pulp into a large pitcher.  Add 3 cups of the cold water and half of the simple syrup. Add more sugar and water to your liking until you have your perfect lemonade! Stir in some ice, garnish with lemon slices, and serve immediately. 

Listening To:
Cults - Go Outside

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