Softening into the Struggle; Making Lemonade

An interview series on Life, Love & Self

Interviewee Cassie Wilkins who writes Making Lemonade; Finding ways to make lemonade in a world filled with bitter lemons. Interviewed by me, Ta Hiron.

Fellow Australian resident Cassie Wilkins joins us for my first interview in this series.

As I start out with this interview series I am still thinking about what might be the right questions on these big topics. If you can think of a better question to probe these topics, or a question you would like to have explored in this series, please leave a comment below or message me.

Cassie is a creative mentor and writer based in Perth. She writes Making Lemonade, a Substack about living a good life, dying happy and the wonders of nature, our planet and the universe, which she shares in her post Making Lemonade; a great introductory article to her writing and journey. 

The below is also from this same post of hers to give you a little snippet of an introduction to her before we dive into the questions.

“Having had my life trajectory shaped by the passing of one of my best friends when I was 21 and after witnessing death and destruction on a huge scale while volunteering in disaster relief after earthquakes and volcanoes, I believe we can all better learn to come to peace with our own mortality and live better, more fulfilling lives knowing how short our time here on this beautiful planet really is.”

Do you think there is a 'meaning to/of life'? If so what do you think it might be?

I think the meaning of life is to enjoy our time here on this earthly planet - by being good people, raising more good humans, and doing what we can to protect each other, the planet, and nature so everyone else gets to enjoy their time here, too.

What do you do to try to live a meaningful life?

I try to be a good human. I try to do my best for my fellow humans, our planet, our animals and our nature. I try to live a life that I love and help others live lives they love, and trust that even though it's a drop in the ocean, everyone doing their best would make a difference. I've also done disaster relief work and now work as a creative mentor to try and help others unlock the meaning and wonder behind their lives, so they get to enjoy their time here more, too.

What do you think about challenges in life? 

I think challenges have the potential to shape us into better humans, if we let them. A lot of the time it can go both ways, but I find myself softening the more challenges I've had to undergo in my life rather than hardening. It makes me appreciate everyone else and this beautiful life more and have appreciation that you don't know what everyone else is going through. 

I do have to remind myself that life is a journey, though, and sometimes our goals won't happen this time, but every step is a step closer to something else that might be better for us in the long run. I also believe you can't have the good without the bad - that the sweet is so much sweeter because we have the bitterness.

Cassie: Turn lemons into lemonade by spending some time in nature.

Have you ever found love challenging to live with, and how did that affect you?

Yes, but I have a big heart and want others to love as deeply as I do and when they don't it honestly makes me kind of sad. I've learned over the years that we all have different capacities and expressions, and some people are our people and some are not (both platonic and romantic) and that's okay.

Have you found a way to live with 'love' and if so, how have you worked with it?

Yes, absolutely! My heart is full of love. Love for people, both individuals and us as a collective, love for this planet, for nature and all our animals. Love is my greatest muse. The harder life gets, the more I double down on love being the answer and the solution to everything.

Have you ever found yourself wanting an answer about love or life that you didn't get? If so, how did you live with the non-answer?

Of course, but I've learned to love the questions. I love  Rilke's quote on learning to love the questions in Letters to a Young Poet. It honestly changed my life in the best possible way. We can never have all the answers, and life would be boring if we did. I've just learned to embrace that the unknown has as much to teach us as the known.

Cassie recommends trying to find ways to look at what you have with new eyes or in a new light as a way to build appreciation for it.

Are you able to embrace your journey/the path before you with its opportunities and challenges? 

Yes, 100%. The journey is the best bit of this whole life thing! I spent many years travelling the world and learning to embrace the everyday challenges and opportunities, and start every day afresh, and that has helped me immensely in navigating my current more settled lifestyle. Right now, this one seems to have a lot more challenges, but I just have to trust more opportunities will come. Even a broken clock is right twice a day!

What do you do when you're uncertain about big life decisions?

I flip a coin! And journal. But mostly flip coins.

What do you think about the idea that we take external/travel journeys to go on the journey within ourselves (to work through something stirring inside)?

I spent 7 years living out of a backpack, travelling the world, and constantly running, and I thought I had it all figured out. And then I stopped. And my whole world fell apart and I had to go on a big inner journey instead. I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't taken that journey, but I do know that I've done more and greater work on myself since being forced to stop. 

However, I must admit  I think I'm a bit of an anomaly from this perspective, rather than the norm. I spent many years of my life as a travel agent and travel writer and have no doubt there is a lot of value that can come from embarking on external journeys, too. 

Deep down, I genuinely believe that the more we see of the world and its people and the more experience we have with nature, the more reasons we have to protect it, which also helps to give us more meaning in our lives and becomes a catalyst for love and growth. 

That said, while travel can help cultivate those experiences, I don't think it's an essential part of the equation. The joys of the Internet and the multicultural society we live in mean that we can often just as easily have those experiences a lot closer to home, too. I believe a little creative thinking and curiosity can make as much difference as a plane ticket, we just have to open our minds to the wonder and magic that's around us every day. For me, writing helps immensely with that.

Also, I have a few tips on how I turn lemons into Lemonade in this post.

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Thank you Cassie for your perspective on life's meaning, emphasising the importance of enjoying our time on Earth and being responsible stewards of humanity and nature. I love your celebration of love as a transformative force that has guided your journey. You have a wonderful way of embracing uncertainty and trusting the journey, drawing from personal experiences of travel and introspection. It has been a wonderful first interview in this series.

All photos have been supplied by Cassie.

Any thoughts on these big topics? Please join us in the discussion and leave a comment.

Are you interested in sharing your views on life, love and self? You can share simply for my research or as part of this interview series. Please follow this link to the survey if you are interested in either: Questions on Life, Love & Self.

Please note the questions evolve as I work on finding the right wording to capture such big ideas. If you are happy for your answers to be posted like Cassie’s you will get the chance to review the final article for any edits, etc. Got any questions, simply message me.

If you love delving into life meaning, here is an article I wrote on that.