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Lemons, Lemonade, and Sour Lemons: Making the Best Out of Tough Times

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Lemons, Lemonade, and Sour Lemons: Making the Best Out of Tough Times

Lemons, Lemonade, and Sour Lemons: Making the Best Out of Tough Times

by Aleasa Word, FAACT Vice President of Inclusion Initiatives

May 2025

Some of you may recall the old cliché’ about making lemonade out of lemons, which refers to figuring out the best solutions when your options aren’t great. In theory, this sounds like a terrific plan, and many of us have learned to do this over and over again. I personally get a little fed up with not having good options after a while. Some people seem to have what I call a “lemonade life.” They are always faced with tough choices and never seem to catch a break. From the outside looking in, others might say it’s about the way they align their choices and behaviors. Others may say, it’s simply about the luck of the draw in life.

Despite the lemon path idea, there is no denying we are experiencing some very sour lemon days in America. With each day there are more and more breaking news posts on social media than we can keep up with about the change to policies and legislation that impact practically everyone. This isn’t just about making lemonade anymore. These days it seems the lemons are bruised, and the sugar is out of stock!

People are simply dealing with a lot. With the rollbacks in DEI, decreased support for anti-discrimination policies, rising health disparities, lack of culturally competent care, and increased political rhetoric, it’s no wonder communities like ours and so many others feel unsafe.

Within our community, many are concerned about reduced inclusion in school accommodations, lack of visibility around health concerns, and increased isolation and judgment from others as well as the overall safety of our food supplies. The emotional toll has led to exhaustion, fear and feelings of invisibility.

One person told me, “It’s enough that places didn’t care before. But now they are being empowered to let us know they don’t care.” This statement hit like a ton of bricks. Despite all of the sour-lemon conditions, we must find a way to push on to create the best spaces we can for ourselves and those we care for. Some of the things we can do, even when things feel out of control, are:

  • Continue to find strength in community.
  • Revisit support groups and online communities to connect with those still in the advocacy fight.
  • Champion awareness events, days, and storytelling videos.
  • Continue being an advocate in allowable spaces (schools, hospitals, community events, public forums).
  • Choose respectful conversations over confrontation. (Physical safety matters!)
  • Teach your children to be resilient and how to regulate their emotions.
  • Be the model for empathy, self-advocacy, and boundary setting.

Seek out those who are true allies to the food allergy community. You can be the voice for new toolkits, promote websites for organizations that are doing the work, encourage others to keep showing up, and be that voice (even it’s a small voice) that says we still matter.

Inclusion is not just a policy. It is a personal and collective choice. Create and choose inclusive spaces. Remember lemons of all sizes and varying degrees of color can be used for lemonade. Even sour lemons can provide nourishment because they too have Vitamin C!

And in this case? Vitamin C stands for VITAMIN “CHOICE.”

Follow organizations that see you, hear you, and validate your experiences. Encourage others to keep showing up and be that voice (even it’s a small voice) that says we still matter.
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