I don’t know who needs to hear this, but you don’t have to do anything with those lemons life handed you.

Lemons are only a gift if you want to make lemonade. But if you’re really craving fried brussel sprouts, or you’re just about to go on a 10 mile hike, someone handing you an armful of lemons is an inconvenience, not a gift.

You don’t have to marry someone just because you had a meet-cute at the library. You don’t have to make YouTube videos just because someone gave you a camera. You don’t have to play basketball just because you’re tall.

Most importantly, you don’t have to continue pursuing a mission or a career just because you’ve already put money, energy, or time into it. Sure, it would have been nice to realize you didn’t want to be a lawyer before you spent $50,000 and three years on a law degree. But once you realize you don’t want to be a lawyer, it doesn’t matter that you already spent that money or invested that time. 

Drop those lemons to the ground. Kick them away. You don’t want lemonade. 

Maybe you did once, but not anymore.

Pandemic Puppetry

Sandra Krueger had so many lemons. 

Her lemons came in the form of a beautiful opera voice, a gift for teaching music, and a studio space she and her business partner rented in North Carolina where they delivered early childhood musical education. Their studio, Music Off Main, was beloved by the community.

And then COVID hit.

Suddenly it was unsafe to sing together in-person, and just like that her lemons were a burden. So instead of clinging to the past, trying to keep paying rent on a vacant studio space that was financially unviable, and wishing the world would come back, she dropped her lemons, gave up the space, and took a job as the Director of Drama at a community college.

She was immediately tasked with the question, how do you safely put on a theatrical production in the middle of a pandemic that even shut down Broadway?

Her answer? 

Puppets.

“We have to be creative, because we can’t do a pale imitation. We have to see where we are so we can adapt and more forward. And that’s the beautiful thing about theater. That’s what we do. We adapt, and we move.”

By using puppets like Avenue Q, her performers could wear masks without disrupting the immersion of an audience. Sandra let go of her lemons and because of that, her arms were wide open to carry something brand new. Instead of lemons, she made puppet soup.

Okay, this analogy got away from me.

Instead, listen to Sandra tell her own bonkers 2020 Pivot story on this week’s episode of the Beyond Networking podcast: https://beyondnetworkingpodcast.com/sandra-krueger