When the world gives you lemons make lemonade.
I love that expression, absolutely love it, since it is probably one of the most profound comments in human history and maybe the most consequential. How eight simple words can feed us so much information is truly a testament to the creativity of the human mind.
Pretty big words for a hillbilly, eh?
The reality is in its simplest form, that line has the ability to answer all of life's little questions. Not every day is going to be a good day and not every day is a bad one. It's our choices of what to do with what you are presented, that represents the only real control we have in our lives.
E + R = O
This is the first of three columns that I wanted to share with you and this equation is the building point. This equation is life in its simplest form. Where E stands for Event, R stands for Reaction, and O stands for Outcome.
Example: Let's say you write columns, and just for argument's sake say it's things like monarchies, Momma Bears, kitty cats, sarcasm or storm dances that may poke a little bit of fun at the love of your life.
Events occur every day, some of which we have control over while others we simply have to accept and analyze. Sounds all very clinical doesn't it? But you can't start the rest of your day without an event or continue any other part of your day without more events occurring. Events are non-discriminate, they don't care if they are good or bad, happy or sad, convenient or not, they occur and in our lives we have to accept them. You can't change an event, you are only able to react to an event.
Example continuation: As a columnist - after great personal distress with threats of a discontinuation of pie cooking, cookie baking, goodie making of any kind, as well as the possibility of being stabbed to death with a running shoe - you decide as a columnist that you should consider your options carefully and react accordingly.
Reactions to events are your contribution to the above equation. Your ability to react is based on your working knowledge of the event, your own personal experiences, wisdom that may have been imparted to you by others, intelligence gathering if you have time, and calculated reaction to what might occur. The only control you truly have in the equation is "your" reaction.
Example Continuation: As a columnist you decide to expound the virtues of the Momma Bear in her abilities as a cook, baker, unshakable monarchist in her domain, a tireless mother driving her children to and fro, making a bear cave into a home, helping farm while taking care of her own garden farm, delivering hot meals to daddy bears, packing lunches, doing homework, paying bills, moving grandbabies and a list that would probably fill two pages of a newspaper if you really put your mind to it. Truly, where would you be as a Daddy Bear without a Momma Bear who does it all. Of course, that's what you would do if you were a columnist. The outcome? To be continued
The outcome of life's equation is the compilation of everything you put into the first part of the math. So many times, if the math is too difficult, your reaction will be half hearted or quickly delivered before all the numbers have been crunched. The key here is that if you find you did only part of the math and your reaction is only half hearted the outcome may not be what you want it to be.
Some events give you time, some events do not. The best you can do is gauge your reaction with the best possible information and move on. For those of you who really want to boggle your minds, each 'O' will become your next 'E' so the cycle never truly ends. Hmm, is that where they got "Life goes on?"
So to anyone who's a columnist and plagiarizes the above example, a pox on thee, get your own reactions to similar events. To Momma Bears, there was no admission of wrong doing and neither will future writings reflect such.
Finally, to you my fine feathered reader, the equation is simply an equation. You have to live life to be happy in it, but if you really wanna make your life exciting, I'm gonna teach you to make lemonade next week. Just a little commonsense folks.
