The intention of my blog is to pass on worthwhile content to my readers, all in a positive light.

With this being said, I have to share an interaction I had last week. When life handed me lemons, a lightbulb went off: I remembered those times I lacked the confidence and knowledge I have now, and I realized there may be other women or young girls out there who could use this reassuring message.

Last week, a dear friend of mine called and invited me to join her and a few of her friends at lunch the following day. Small lunch. Happened to be one of the girl’s birthdays. She told me it was no biggie, and that they’d love to have me, so I agreed to attend.

That same afternoon, I ran into the birthday girl, who had learned I’d been invited to lunch. She greeted me with:

“ I know ‘so and so’ called you and invited you to join us.”
“I don’t want you to go.”
“You’re not included in this group.”
“This is our thing.”
“You can’t come.”

I replied to her in a casual, very nonchalant way. “Oh gosh. No worries at all. I totally get it that you want to keep the lunch small. All good.”

Ultimately, I didn’t mind skipping the lunch, but what stuck with me was the way this woman phrased the un-invitation. It felt like junior high school had come back just in time for Halloween, and her rude words struck a chord like none I remember in recent years.

I was debating whether to share this or to keep it close, but I decided to open up. I’m sharing this story for several reasons. If this sort of behavior is still going on at my age, no telling how bad this mean girl behavior is among school-aged girls. I have the wisdom and wherewithal to deal with this sort of situation, but I know, and I can promise you that our young girls need to be prepared with the tools to deal with this.

Certain people will try to beat you down and make you feel powerless.  Their intention is to make you feel bad and feel small. It should be no surprise to any of us that there has been an increase in social anxiety, depression and eating disorders among young girls.

I know that all of you have heard the phrase, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” If only life were as easy as adding water and sugar to some freshly squeezed lemon juice. It’s much harder to look for ways to make something good come out of something bad than it is to get angry or depressed.

My friends always say that I try to find the good in people or the good in any given situation, but in this one, there is no part of this that resembles good. It was mean. It was rude, and this woman could have said this same thing in a hundred other different ways that would have been much nicer.

Never pretend that it’s lemonade when it’s lemon juice, but know that you can always turn lemon juice into lemonade. It just takes strength. You can emerge stronger, more confident, and with a kinder outlook.

Even so, no matter what happens, you’re never in it alone. My family, my friends, the pretty things, the yummy things, the random things and The Lemonade to Lace all make my world go ‘round. And when life gives you lemons…..well, you make yourself a Lemon Drop Martini.

Smooch!

xx Barbara

LEMON DROP MARTINI

INGREDIENTS:

1-½ oz vodka
½ oz orange liqueur
¾ oz lemon juice (fresh lemons are best)
1 tsp. superfine sugar

Optional: coarse sugar for rim

METHOD:

1. Rim a martini glass with lemon juice and then sugar.

2. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice cubes.

3. Pour in all the ingredients.

4. Shake only until the sugar is dissolved.

5. Strain the mixture into a sugar rimmed martini glass

6. Garnish with a lemon slice or twist.

TO MAKE A LEMON TWIST:

1. Make a slice through one side of the lemon peel and the pulp, all the way up to the rind on the other side.

2. Use a knife to cut out all of the pulp and insides so that you have one long strip of lemon peel.

3. Twist the strip of peel into one curly-q shape.

4. Use the lemon twist to place on the rim of the martini glass.

Enjoy every sip of it!!

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