There are times in life when you are literally handed whatever you get at that's the motherfucking end of the story. Y'all know what I'm talking about when it comes to weed--the times when you meet your dude in the dark, perhaps your usual parking lot or a quick walk around the block, leaving with merch sometimes un-inspected. And that's it, that's the weed you will be smoking. No returns, exchanges, upgrades, nada. As a stoner bred in illegal states, this mind state or at least knowing that when I went to see the weedman, whether it was in a luxurious apartment where I'm even given free rolling papers or outside in the bitter cold under a bridge, I always accepted from the start that whatever they were selling was what I was leaving with. Knowing this, I always took the attitude of gratitude, knowing that if the weed was a little dry or whatever this week, that I was still going to get high and I was still going to enjoy the hell out of it, because it sure beats the alternative being stressed out and having to deal with crazy shit without any release or relief. I believe this attitude of gratitude is directly related to the fact that I never really got shitty weed even in shitty circumstances!

Recently, I have found myself thrown into the exact same situation where you get what the fuck you get with a lot of aspects in my life, where I feel little to no control over the way people treat me, finding myself at the mercy of weather and other mortals more, which is usually incredibly frustrating to the Gemini in me who does not like to be tied down, immobilized, or without options. Other times I have felt great conflicting emotions at the same time--joy and sadness; calm and irritation etc. Luckily, during a recent escape out of town, I acquired some Lemon OG, which helped me make light of the weird times.

I had no expectations for this bud as it was another get-what-you-get situation. To my pleasant surprise, it was beautiful, strong, delicious, and just what I needed. True to its name, this bud has a strong citrus aroma that in itself is calming and arousing. With tight, dense buds covered in kief, this bud resembled a member of the Cookies family, but upon smoking revealed that that was where the comparisons end. Technically an Indica-dominant hybrid, this strain provides anxiety and stress relief that I much appreciated in the midst of constant movement (3 cities; 1 day), but also had incredible mood-lifting properties common to a Sativa. When I smoked this bud, I instantly felt beyond my emotions, good and bad, and was able to laugh at everything and everyone as a part of the cosmic joke/experiment that is my life. Though this sounds a bit nihilistic, I find that the bulk of suffering comes when I take myself and circumstances too seriously, so self-laughter is usually beneficial. With Lemon OG I instantly felt distanced from what was disturbing me, and along with some sisterly advice, I was reminded that, surprise, not everything is about me! This includes other people's actions, emotions directed toward me, and other elements of fate that had me feeling frustrated and powerless.

And for the grand finale, I smoked a joint of Lemon OG before getting anointed by Queen Bey at the Formation Tour in Los Angeles. This solidified one of the lessons I was to learn from the weekend, which was sometimes lemons is exactly what you're supposed to receive, and that's sweet in itself.

~Kenya Kush