I’LL KEEP MY OWN STUFF

Everytime you peep into someone else’s backyard, and you tilt your head sideways and squint to get a better view, the closer you get, the more you see all the little, itty, bitty flaws lurking there. Their grass is probably tangled with weeds that run so deep, they would wrap around your neck and strangle the flower that’s trying to bloom in you. The deep holes in that lush grass, that you envy so much, are probably filled with dirt that no one can see.

Maybe we shouldn’t compare the stuff in our backyards to someone else’s stuff. I don’t even think those folks want the stuff they already have. Their grass isn’t greener over there. Their grass really isn’t all that picturesque on the other side of that fence. It may look thick and green and lush on the surface, but deep down, behind enclosed fences, there’s all kinds of weeds and bugs and parasites lurking within that grass. Those flaws probably surpass your own flaws and are hella debilitating and heartbreaking and bad for one’s health and upsetting to one’s psyche.

What we see on the surface looks great. We love what we see at first glance, and maybe even a couple of glances later. We latch on to what we observe as the truth. But little do we know, it’s a facade. A mirage. And low and behold, when we use a magnifying glass and get a first hand account, sadly, it’s a whole different ball game.

We want that expensive, shiney, new car our friend bought. But little do we know, our friend’s car is cleaner and tidier than that shoebox of a house they live in, and probably costs more too. We love to see that celebrity couple on TV, so happy and in love and all romantic and nicey nice with each other. Shoot. We want a love like theirs too! Then two months later, it’s spread all over the tabloids and on social media, that he was cheating with her friend’s friend and her friend was married to his friend’s best man at some other celebrity wedding. You know that woman we work with? She looks like she has it all together. Great job, lovely house, lots of family and friends. But, behind closed doors, we’re not privy to the emotional abuse she suffers at the hands of her mate, her low self esteem and the lies she’s let slide to keep up her facade.

All that glistens isn’t gold. No siree. Oftentimes, things that are wrapped nicely in a neat, little Tiffany box isn’t always a diamond engagement ring or keys to a new car. What it looks like, smells like, walks like, and talks like, isn’t at all what it really appears to be. Not. At. All.

Most people don’t even want the stuff that’s in their own backyard. So, why would you want to roll around on other folks’ weedy lawn, only to get ensnared in their thick, dense shrubbery? You’re just gonna get all itchy and scratchy. Eventually you’ll wish you could go back to your own backyard so you can deal with your own familiar weeds lurking below your own surface.

Take my advice. Keep your stuff and let them keep theirs. Trust me. In their backyard lurks beautiful rose bushes filled with piercing thorns. Isn’t that the same as what’s in your backyard? Keep your own stuff. And with good thoughts, pray for each other’s lush and healthy lawns.