We’ve all heard the popular quote: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” This popular bit of advice is all about making the best of a not-so-great situation. It’s great advice to battle that sense of helplessness we feel when life doesn’t go our way.
Chaos Leads to Clutter
It happens to the best of us. Something unexpected comes up and throws us completely for a loop. A sick family member, a job loss, or a new baby. When my life gets chaotic it generates clutter all over the place.
- Menus don’t get planned so we spend too much, eat out too much, and leftovers get lost in the back of the fridge.
- If I’m lucky, laundry gets washed but it goes unfolded and sits around in baskets all week.
- Toys that get left out quickly become an overwhelming mess pile that grows exponentially every day.
Most of the time it’s easier to just look the other way than take the time and mental energy necessary to conquer chaos clutter explosions.
When Life Gives You Lemons
As I was considering how chaos affects our battle with clutter, I wandered off on a tangent collecting alternatives to this lemony bit of advice. Listed below are a few of my favorites.
Favorite alternative “When life gives you lemons…” quotes:
- If life gives you lemons, keep them, because, hey…Free Lemons!
- If life hands you lemons, throw them back and yell “I WANTED CHOCOLATE!”
- When life give you lemons, eat them, they are good for you – life knows best.
- When life gives you lemons, do what we all do with unwanted gifts: Thank the giver, then re-gift them to someone else.
- When life DOESN’T give you lemons, you’ll soon find that you miss them.
When I read that last quote, I thought to myself how very true it is. If I anticipate bad things up ahead, I do my best to avoid them. However, the times I battle the chaos, the bad news, and the turmoil and make it through to the other side have the biggest impact in my life. When you’re able to find an inner strength that you didn’t know you had, your victories are that much sweeter.
Practically Speaking
So what can you really do when the chaos finds you and your home is beginning to show it? Here are some practical tips that I use:
- Enter triage mode. This is a tip I picked up from my dad. He’s an ER doctor and he taught me to always tackle the biggest “bleeder” first. So evaluate the most pressing need and take immediate action.
- Do two things well. You can’t fix all the problems or the messes at once. Just pick two things and do them well. Everyone needs clean clothes and people gotta eat. When I stay on top of laundry and meal planning, life seems to go more smoothly. Your two things might be different but those work well for me.
- Keep your bedroom clean. At the end of a hard day, it is so nice to collapse in a bedroom that is clutter free. Whatever it takes keep the piles far from your bedroom oasis. Even if you have to hide them outside your door or throw folded clean clothes back in the dryer (yes, I’ve totally done this) keep them out of your personal space!
Just keep going! There are plenty of motivational cliches I could throw down right now, but I’ll skip those. Most of the time getting through the chaos comes down to just keep going. They aren’t always special tricks or shortcuts. It’s just hard work and gratitude on the other side that you made it.
Do you have any lemons in your life right now? How are you keeping them from getting the best of you?
