Prologue

Happy Chanukah!

For this week’s blog, I’m sharing the prologue from my book, When Life Throws You Lemons...Make Cranberry Juice!

Prologue

“That’s a big tumor, Shari,” echoed through my head as I packed for my short stay in the hospital.  The doctors told me that, even though it was large, the removal of this benign brain tumor (an acoustic neuroma) was something they did all the time, and that I had an excellent prognosis.  They said I should spend five to ten days in the hospital, recover at home for another three to four weeks, and I should not have major lasting effects.  I ended up spending nine months in the hospital and my body and face will never look or feel like it did before the surgery.

I went into this experience with the hope of a happy, healthy future, and I truly believed that I was embarking on an adventure. I knew it wouldn’t be fun, but everyone I talked to reiterated what I had heard from the doctors. This was a benign, operable brain tumor, I was in excellent hands, and I was going to be fine. I am not fine. I am and will forever be a work in progress.

Whenever someone is going through a tough time, people grasp for the “right” words. Some tell you to put your faith in God; others tell you to see the glass as half-full.

 “Think positive!”

“It could be worse!”

“What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger.”

“God won’t give you anything you can’t handle.”

And of course: “When life throws you lemons, make lemonade”.

Sure, I could put a positive spin on this.  The left side of my face doesn’t move—I’ll never need botox. Plus, since my face doesn’t show expression, I’m a really good liar. I would be great at poker!

If playing poker for a living fit into my goals at all, then there’s my lemonade. Since it doesn’t, I’m stuck with trying to make lemonade out of lemons. How do I make lemonade from lemons? If I squeezed lemons into a glass, I’d have lemon juice. Who wants to drink straight lemon juice? At the very least, I need to add sugar. So, I need to take life’s lemons and add life’s sugar to it.

My favorite drink is cranberry juice mixed with lemonade. When life throws you lemons, make cranberry juice! Take life’s lemons, and add some sugar and cranberries. But where can you find life’s cranberries? While my lemons had always been large, sour, and smacking me in the face, my cranberries had always been small and elusive. I really had to pay attention to find my cranberries, and I had to be willing to recognize them. My cranberries ranged from a rub on my shoulder to a friend installing my dishwasher.

Clichés give words to the wordless; these words try to minimize pain and suffering. No matter how big or small, everyone is entitled to be upset when bad things happen in their life. Putting a positive spin on life’s disasters doesn’t always work. This book is not about making lemonade out of lemons, but looking for and finding sugar and sweet cranberries to add to the lemons. Finding, and accepting, life’s cranberries makes the journey much more palatable.

If you'd like to purchase an autographed copy, please visit my web site at http://www.wix.com/lemonsandcranberries/lemons