When Life gives you Lemons...

"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." I am pretty sure that is exactly what Marry Poppins was saying in her great phrase that turned into a musical hit, "A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down!" Think about it, the difference between lemon juice and lemonade is SUGAR. Yep, I am positive that is what Mary Poppins was thinking as she sang that song. And we have to believe Mary Poppins! After all, she is Practically Perfect in every way. :) Let's face it, LIFE happens. It's common knowledge that when you're running late you will hit every red light…Goodness, I hate that feeling! Rushing off to work and dying a little bit inside with every red light you hit. You woke up late, didn't get coffee, and your hair is pretty much a mess…but at least you have matching shoes on! Boy, have I been there…then I realized I was an hour early…. that's beside the point. What I was saying is that life happens and you can't do anything about it. No matter how much we try and make it so or desire it, we are not in complete control of life. Thank goodness!! I'm pretty sure I would have made of mess of things if I was. I am so thankful God is ultimately in control.

Life can seem pretty rough sometimes but then I wonder if it is really as bad as we think. Sometimes I think we make mountains out of mole hills, if you know what I mean. I love the characters from Mary Poppins. I feel like they can teach us a lot about life. Each one of them is faced with life. Things don't go their way and each one has a unique way of handling it! From Uncle Albert to the Admiral…Yep, some have to deal with lemon juice and others enjoy lemonade...

I love Uncle Albert; he is one of my favorite characters on the movie. WHY? Well, because he loves to laugh of course! Goodness, the best part of the movie is where Mary Poppins and the children run off the help Uncle Albert. What is so funny is that Mary Poppins seems to think that it is a desperate situation in need of remedy! Why not just enjoy the moment and LAUGH!! I mean they do in the end considering they have tea in the ceiling….. See, instead of making a mountain out of a mole hill, have tea on the ceiling.


So many of us get caught up in life like Mr. Banks. It is understandable. I mean he has the weight of the world on his shoulders as Bert pointed out. He has a family he has to provide for and a position at the bank where people look up to him. Both his household and his business seems to be falling apart before his very eyes…talk about stress! Thank goodness by the end of the film he realized that life was not in his control and that he needed to step back, take a deep breath and "go fly a kite." There must be some therapy in flying kites cause literally everyone ends up flying kites at the end of that movie….weird.


Then there is the Admiral. The strangest and least seen character in the movie, yet somehow I think he had it all figured out to begin with. The Admiral might be crazy but goodness he has a neat outlook on life! He took care of everyone. Watching the weather, knowing what was going on in the city and keeping everyone punctual. As bert said, "What he's famous for is punctuality. The whole world takes its time from Greenwich, but Greenwich, they say, takes its time from Admiral Boom." Ya, he may be strange blasting his cannon throughout the neighborhood and telling people the weather from his rooftop but he has to have one of the greatest quotes in the movie. 

"Glorious day, Mr. Binnacle! Glorious! No one sleeps this morning. Put in a double charge of powder." 

-Admiral Boom

It's the Admiral and Mr. Banks that cause Mrs. Banks to have an eventful and stressful life and yet Mrs. Banks handles every upset with poise and grace. From calmly listening to each of Mr. Bank's rants and qualms to effectively handling each of the Admiral's blasts that literally shakes her house. How a woman can be so feisty and yet so calm about everything seriously puzzles me. I mean even when her children get brought back by the police she acts quit calm about the whole thing. I feel like nothing can faze this woman! As she so fittingly sings, "We're clearly soldiers in petticoats!" Of course she was singing about her fight for women's rights but I feel like it accurately describes her!

After writing this post I am going to have to go re-watch this movie!! Mary Poppins came to teach the children and take care of them and yet from this classic disney film we all can learn. The moral of the story?

When life gives you lemons….

1. Laugh

2. Go Fly a Kite

3. Recognize what a Beautiful Day it is and Let EVERYONE know! No matter how crazy you look doing it! 

4. AND STAY CALM 

"A spoonful of sugar…makes lemonade out of lemons."