… fertilize your pastures.

Or, in the case of the Lemonade Award that my dear blogger friend OnTheBit passed on to me, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” (I tend to prefer the “When life gives you lemons, stick ‘em down your shirt” version.)

At any rate, the Lemonade Award recognizes bloggers who maintain a positive and uplifting attitude on their sites.

This is one of the best awards I’ve gotten because staying positive is something I work hard to do, even when I don’t really want to. I firmly believe that we choose our attitudes. It also comes at a time when I really really need it. I’ve been feeling down and out of sorts lately, and getting this award when I don’t really feel like making lemonade encourages me to hang in there.

Here are some lemons that have been squeezed into lemonade lately:

• Ace had an abscess, but it gave us another way to get to know each other and to work on his problems with holding up his feet.
• I wrecked my car, but I was perfectly fine and now have a newer, more reliable vehicle.
• Smoke had to be put down, but he had a long full life and was loved by many.
• I may get stressed and have minor breakdowns occassionally, but I’ve got a good hubby and a sweet horse with broad shoulders to cry on.

I’m not into tearing people down to make a point, no matter how valid. And I really appreciate other bloggers who hold that standard as well. A few that immediately come to mind are

• Grey Horse Matters
• Freelance Riding Instructor
• A Horse Crazy American in Germany
• Behind the Bit
• Deanna Castro
• The Eventing Percheron
• Saving Argus
• Rising Rainbow

These are some fantastic blogs that if you aren’t reading, you definitely should be!