Comparing Ourselves to the Manicured Gardens

[caption id="attachment_19" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Image by © Royalty-Free/Corbis[/caption]

Look at this house. It is beautiful and quaint. Who lives inside? We all will see something different in this house. I see a gorgeous home with manicured gardens. I imagine the people who live there are fairly well off in careers they love. They have exactly the number of children they always wanted and they behave. It is a home filled with love and earthly perfection.

You can look at any home and make assumptions about the situation inside based on the appearance outside. Those manicured gardens and beautiful walls are only shells masking what is inside. Inside this home might be a couple on the verge of divorce or a family who can barely afford the payments of a too expensive home. Who ever it is that lives here, you better bet that they aren't perfect. They are struggling with something just like each of us.

The problem comes when we compare ourselves to the façade. We look at a big beautiful home and compare our lives and situation to it. We are inundated with Facebook feeds that present only the highest highlights of each others lives. We build a façade on ourselves and do our best to only show our best. Then we look at the people around us and think, "Their life is better than mine."

When we compare ourselves to the manicured garden of someone else's life we are being very unfair to ourselves. We aren't even comparing our problems with their problems. We are comparing ourselves to our own ideas of what their perfect life must be like. So, ultimately, we are transposing our ideals onto the people around us and then saying that we are the ones that are lacking. What?! It sounds kind of ridiculous, doesn't it? But I bet you have done it just like I have.

Let's be real and realistic. I don't want people to think my life is perfect, not that I think anyone does, and I don't want to think your life is perfect either. We all deal with stuff everyday. We each have our own unique frustrations and trials. Let's spend our time giving each other support and love instead of creating ridiculous standards that no one can live up to. Let's live life like it was meant to be, full of love, hope, and support.