Chicken Soup Call For Stories

The picture above has nothing to do with today's post. It's there because I am still glowing over the great game K-State played on Saturday night. They beat Oklahoma at Oklahoma being the only ranked team to ever beat OU at home. On second thought, this picture just might have bearing on today's topic which is...

....making lemonade from lemons. That's the theme of the latest story call from the publishers at Chicken Soup for the Soul. The book title is From Lemons To Lemonade. Deadline to submit stories is February 28, 2012, which gives you lots of time to come up with an appropriate story. 

The notice I received stated the following:

"When life hands you lemons...make lemonade!: And don't just make lemonade but squeeze out every last drop of juice from that sour lemon to make the sweetest lemonade possible. We are looking for true stories that show how you made the best of a challenging situation and turned it into something positive. Tell us your success stories and how you made them happen.

Here are examples of the kinds of "lemon to lemonade" stories we are imagining:

•  You got fired/laid off and discovered a new better career
•  You prevailed over an illness or medical condition and found a wonderful silver lining
•  You overcame an addiction and found new purpose
•  You lost all your money and possessions and discovered new happiness with your family
•  You went through a difficult time with your child but came out with a better relationship

 You lost a loved one and created a non-profit that is saving lives so other people don't go through the same loss

There are many more possibilities. The football picture above is actually a perfect such story. Last year, Oklahoma played at K-State and beat them soundly, 52-17. It was one of only two losses that K-State had in the 2011 season and it hurt a lot. The team felt embarrassed and downright humiliated. When it came time to prepare to play Oklahoma this year, I have a feeling that the coaches took the lemon part of that previous loss to motivate the players for this year. That loss had a great deal to do with the strong play they showed this time and the resulting victory.

Think of a time in your life when you made the most of a bad situation, turning it to your advantage at a later date. Write your story and then submit it here. Before you do that, check the guidelines very carefully to make sure your story qualifies. Guidelines are found here. 

You've got five months to work on this one. Maybe you can write more than one story to submit.