It’s funny how you hear an expression and don’t give much thought to the literal meaning.

I live in a relatively young neighborhood and when sales of new homes slumped, the builder started offering sod as one of the incentives.  We built before that was offered and our yard was planted on concrete, rock, and nutrient depleted topsoil.  So when I look at my neighbor’s yard, his grass truly is greener.  When I walk over to visit, his grass is still greener, but my yard definitely looks better than it did up close.

That’s the way it is for so many of our lives.  We look at the people all around us and construct fantasies about their lives.  He has a bigger house.  She has a nicer car.  They have it all together.

We compare our behind the scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.

A friend of mine is a recovered drug addict.  There was a time she would do absolutely anything for her next fix.  I didn’t know her then, but I cannot imagine her like that.  Not even a little.  When she talks about her past, it is as if she is talking about a completely different person.

One day, she shared a couple of her struggles with me.  When I told her that I dealt with some of the same exact issues, she was stunned.  She couldn’t believe that someone who “had it all together” could struggle with anything.

Now…I know what my grass looks like…yet…

…my grass looks much greener to someone else…so…

All that glitters isn’t gold?  Beggars can’t be choosers?  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder?  Clothes don’t make the man?  Practice makes perfect?  Rome wasn’t built in a day?  You’re never too old to learn?

How about… we really should learn to be a little kinder to ourselves?