It is all too easy to fall into the “grass is always greener”
mindset. And honestly, it’s true. There will always be people who have
something we want but can’t have. There will always be those who have more
desirable circumstances. There will always be a reason to have an envious heart.
But just because there is a reason for envy doesn’t mean we
need to harbor it.
It may be a little easier for military wives to fall into
this trap. It seems like every time we move, I find plenty of things with the
new house that I wish were different. I think about how much better it would be
if we were closer to base like the Joneses or if we had more square footage
like the Smiths. When my husband goes out of town or deploys, I think about how
great it would be if he had a civilian job like the guy down the street and
could be home all the time. I especially
envy the mom who has the convenience of dropping her kids off at their
grandmother’s house for a few hours by herself or alone with her husband. And as
for the people who have the ability to take a quick weekend away from the kids?
Let’s just say I am still waiting for my 30th birthday present to
Chicago with my husband, and that was a year and a half ago.
On the other hand, there may be plenty of people who think my
grass is greener than theirs. When I stop to think about all the things that
are good in my life and in my circumstances, my envy starts to subside and I
feel more content. There really is no good reason why I should spend time
dwelling on what others have that I don’t because I have enough of my own to be
thankful for. And at the top of that list is a great relationship with a husband
who loves me more than anything and who would rather come home to be with me
than go out to the bar with his friends.
By making the conscious decision to recognize and be
thankful for what we have, we can climb out of the envy hole and simply be
happy for others. This is not to say that we shouldn’t desire more, but rather
than sitting around complaining about what we don’t have, we can get on our
feet and work towards what we can have. And while we strive for improvement, we
can still be content in knowing that our grass is, in fact, very green.
