Bridges

Last week I turned lemons into lemon aide…

Not literally, though making lemonade has been a favorite thing to do with my kids this summer. A couple of times a month we get about four bags of lemons and roll them out on the table on our back porch; then we take turns squeezing their juice into a big glass bowl. There is usually lemon juice everywhere—all over the table, in our hair, and running up and down our arms as we work. After all of the lemons are squeezed, we begin the time-honored process of getting just the right balance between sour and sweet. It is a tradition we have just started this summer but one that reaches back in time for generations of mothers making lemon aide with their children.

That brings me to the point of my story…

I live not far from Wake Forest University where I teach part time. For months now driving back and forth to work I have thought to myself that I should get a bike to ride to work rather than drive.

I had nostalgic visions of centuries of college professors riding bikes through pastoral scenes to equally beautiful college campuses. The distance between my house and Wake Forest is perfect for a bike ride: too short to justify driving but too long to walk. There are even manicured trails that connect my neighborhood to campus so there is virtually no need to ride on busy streets.

But months went by since the thought first came to me and I never bought a bike.

Then last week my car needed to go into the shop for a few days and I still had to get to work, so I decided that the time had arrived to buy myself a bike.

My first day of riding the bike was less than romantic. I had barely gotten out of my neighborhood before the thought crossed my mind that perhaps this had been a very bad idea. As it turns out, I am pretty out of shape and there are hills between my house and Wake that I had never noticed before.

But when I got to the top of the first hill and I began coasting down with the wind in my face. The speed of my bike picked up with ease and I instinctively began to peddle backwards just as I did when I was a kid…and I smiled.

Life is a lot like lemonade… and a lot like riding bikes. With the bitter there is the sweet. With the effort of every up uphill, there is the jubilation of making it to the crest and there is the freedom and ease of coasting home.

What is old is new again. When’s the last time you made lemonade?

Editor’s Note: To make a comment on this essay click on the ““comments” button below Cris’ bio, or look for the white box at the bottom of the page. If you want more info, go here for step-by-step instructions.

This essay was created by Dr. Cristin Whiting, Psy.D: Triad Tribe author, clinical psychologist, and adjunct professor at Wake Forest University. In addition to writing for Bridges, Cristin is launching a new website and multimedia blog called The Love Tango: The Extraordinary Dance Between Sex, Love and Intimacy. Cristin also writes monthly on the topic of relationships for Dr. Lara Fernandez.com who’s tag line is “Live the life of your dreams with your soulmate by your side.” She also blogs for Triad Mom’s on Main. Beyond her writing, Cristin is the mother of two children who are the joy of her life. She also volunteers as a leadership coach, empowering others to live lives they love so they can be a contribution to their communities. Cristin currently resides in Winston-Salem and has a private psychotherapy practice.

To read Cristin’s other Bridges’ Articles from 2012 click here.