The grass always seems greener on the other side of the fence, doesn’t it? And I think that’s partially down to the fact that we have been conditioned to always look for better elsewhere, as though better lay always in that elsewhere and never where are at; so that we are always dissatisfied with where we are, that where we are never seems enough; so that we are always searching even when we find, that our own lot never seems to suffice. Our grass never seems to be green enough.
The grass isn’t greener on the side per se. It just seems that way because we spend so much time eyeballing other people’s lands and gardens, comparing theirs with our own. The truth is the grass greens wherever it is properly nurtured and cared for. And if you spend enough time peering over the fence into other people’s gardens, you neglect to take care of your own; you neglect to nurture yours into what you want it to be; and even if you did do the work, it still would not be enough for you because you keep comparing it with that which is growing under a set of conditions different from yours. Perhaps it rains a little more on the other side; perhaps their land is easier to till, and yours isn’t. And if today we gave you the same patch of grass you so furiously envy, you will not be anymore satisfied because you will find another patch to covet because you have not learnt how to recognize the full worth of what you have when you have it, how to keep your head down and stop looking over at other people’s lot, because you have not learnt how to appreciate your own. Perhaps the grass on your side is equally green. But you wouldn’t know that because you never take the time to look around, to take it all in, to appreciate and be grateful for it.
Okay, fine, maybe the grass is greener on the other side. But that’s the thing about it: there will always be greener grass somewhere out there, greener than yours. The goal is not to have the greenest grass in the land, but to have that which is green enough for you. Green enough should be the goal. And the moment you define how green “green enough” is for you, you will no longer worry about what lies on the other side.
So, is the grass greener on the other side of the fence? I don’t know. But perhaps that is irrelevant. The imperative question you should be asking is, “Why am I peering over the fence in the first place?”
This life? It’s all about contentment and gratitude… oh, and green grass.