Hey, Jealousy...

My mom, being, well a mom of a certain age, has a number of religious plaques hanging in their house. One of them, in the front hallway, is Desiderata. I've always liked one of the lines in it. I've just never been able to figure out how to live it.

The poem gives the advice that If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

I regularly compare myself to others, and I seldom like what I see. I often feel like everyone else is just doing better at life - that they have better jobs, more friends, a better social life, nicer stuff, better luck, and aren't total idiots when it comes to meeting members of the opposite sex.

While some of these areas are probably valid - I don't know anyone who has had as dry a dating life as myself - some of them are less so. My job might not be perfect, but it pays decently, is occasionally fun and interesting, and doesn't involve digging holes or gutting pigs. And there's no telling if the people who drive past me in much nicer cars are driving them because they are way more rich and successful than me, or if it's because they have giant car loans.

And even the relationship angle is probably overrated - sure, no relationship sucks compared to a good one, but it's probably better than a bad one - and it's something that's easy to idealize when you look at other people's from the outside.

The grass isn't greener on the other side, but it's still annoying when the neighbors manage to mow their's more frequently...