greener grass

Sometimes it seems like everyone else’s life is better than mine. And by better I mean more organized, calmer, quieter, wealthier, less stressful, more passionate, healthier and easier. In other words - better.

I get tempted to believe that not only is the grass greener, but it’s also been recently mowed and doesn’t have dandelions popping up all over. It’s so easy to look in from the outside and convince myself that other people don’t have problems. They don’t have acne or clogged toilets or a complete set of fat jeans or even the trials and tragedies that life inevitably brings. In other words - they’re just not human.

I’m not sure if everyone is like this or not - but I tend to admire/be envious of people who are gifted in areas I struggle. Disciplined people. Organized people. Generous people. People who can maintain an exercise program. People with clean houses and non-smelly vans. People who can wake up on Saturday morning without a to-do list 10 miles long and be able to ask (seriously) “What should I do today?” Imagine.

And yet, I know no one has a perfect life. No one has a perfect marriage or perfect kids or the perfect amount in their bank account. No one escapes not having weeds sprout in their lawns or bare patches where neighbors dogs have marked their territory.

Life is life - and it’s not always green and pretty. A good friend of mine has been facing serious allergies, chronic fatigue and a thyroid condition. And she just found out that they have mold and water in their basement for the third time due to shoddy construction on their home. She’s plugging away, grateful for each day she has without pain, even if they are few and far between. Life isn’t greener for her right now. Unless you count the mold.

Another friend has had her family uprooted 700 miles from where she’s called home for 15 years. She is not a social person and her sarcasm is often misunderstood, but she’s trying to find the blessing in new surroundings, new people and a new climate. Life for her is dry and dusty with little grass in sight.

Unless you knew these two women well, you probably wouldn’t see the inner struggles they face on a daily basis. They might even seem to “have it together” because they are seldom found without a cheerful word or a joke or a heartfelt prayer for someone else. Which of course makes me all the more insecure and frustrated that I can’t be as fruitful in the midst of my weed patch.

Perhaps that’s the point of it - it’s not the color or the condition, but what you do with the grass you do have that matters. Because we’re human, it will probably look greener from the other side of the fence anyway.