We have all heard the age-old saying, "If life hands you lemons, make lemonade." Of course, this is easier said than done — but positivity certainly has its rewards.
There are so many heartwarming stories of people channelling bad news into something positive and uplifting, like the officer who posed for a photo with the man who tried to kill him.
So when I saw what one struggling father did to "make lemonade," I knew I had to find out more.
I found this story on Imgur, where user darestevens turns an empty and dilapidated backyard into something truly incredible.
He writes, "This project was my response to dealing with the news that I had skin cancer. When I found out, all I could think of was that I wanted to do something that my girls would never forget, that they could always remember and smile about."
What this father made is quite arguably the most epic DIY transformation ever. I couldn't believe how he was able to turn his bad news into positive energy: creating an amazing new backyard for his family.
h/t CluelessFather
When he took a look at his desolate backyard, this DIY dad decided to make something beautiful for his wife and kids. He writes, "I also needed something to help me focus on positiveness while I got my treatments."
He decided his backyard could no longer sit in its current state, for the sake of his daughters. He writes on his blog, "I wanted to give them a beautiful playhouse and garden which they could enjoy and have adventures in, exercise and enjoy life and remember fondly as they grew older."
This DIYer had very expensive bills to pay for the skin cancer treatment, so he took an alternate route for lumber. He writes, "I asked all my friends and family to give me wood for my birthday."
He worked tirelessly to get his extremely ambitious project on its feet. He writes, "My two little girls helped me all the way, cleaning and painting and general cheerleading. We had a blast."
He worked long hours to create four new features for his backyard: a playhouse, a garden, a deck, and a pergola.
He unfortunately ran out of money mid-build, but he didn't let that get him down. He took a job building a deck for someone else, so that he could afford the supplies he needed for his own yard.
Back on track, he used beautiful stained redwood for the floor of his new deck, completing the pergola.
On an elevated part of the yard, he began work on a garden walkway.
The rafters added a gorgeous touch and matched the painted wood of the pergola.
Next up, this DIY dad got to work on what would inevitably be his daughters' favorite part of the yard: the playground.
He built a sand box underneath and a large upper platform to serve as a playroom.
He writes, "I found someone throwing this away and was like, 'Hey! I'll take that $300 slide off your hands.'"
He added mosquito netting and lights to the upstairs play area, and installed climbing grips for the ramp leading up to it.
On the side of the house, he constructed a lovely gate leading to the backyard, complete with an arced gate door.
He planted crepe myrtle and hibiscus in the planters, adding a gorgeous finishing touch to the walkway that leads to the yard.
Adding a large trampoline to the middle of the yard, this epic backyard transformation was complete.
With lights strung all around the yard, he writes, "The lights aren't too bright but the warm soft glow enables us to stay outside (and away from the TV) during the night."
While he was initially facing some incredible obstacles in his life, this DIYer has made something extraordinary.
He writes, "The kids love their new space. My wife loves our backyard. And I feel strangely satisfied. It felt good to build this. It sort of gave me a renewed verve for keeping going. Pursuing my dreams and taking the struggle that comes with that in str
This incredible father has truly turned his difficult life into one of positivity. And the results of that positivity are absolutely mind-blowing.
What do you think of what this DIY dad did to his backyard? Let us know in the comments.
Please SHARE if you love stories of amazing individuals turning difficulty into positivity!
