I will not waste my life on envy.
It's easy to fall into, being envious. Facebook makes it easy to see who's taking vacations, who's having a child, who's gotten a promotion, who's lost the baby weight. Pinterest makes it easy to build the perfect life - dream house, dream wardrobe, dream body, dream spouse.
But when that's how I spend my time, what I have doesn't look so good anymore. My house is too small, my wardrobe too outdated, my bank account too puny.
They say the grass is always greener on the other side, but the truth is, it's greener where you water it. If I spend all my time and energy focused on a life I don't have, I'm watering someone else's grass. My life becomes dry and desolate because of my inattention to it.
Other people's lives take them down different paths. Some of them end up with bigger homes or better bodies. And that's okay. What they have does not have to diminish what I have, unless I let it.
Maybe it's a sign that I'm getting old, but I better understand now how fragile and temporary this life is. I don't know how much time I get here, so I refuse to spend one second envying the logo on someone else's flip flops. Or lusting after their granite countertops ... or their granite abs.
I will not spend my days wondering "what if" and thinking "if only." Not when I'm lucky enough to be married to the love of my life, a man who embraces my flaws and encourages me daily. And not when I have two healthy children, who are still young enough to think I'm the best.
I will nurture my marriage and my children. I will embrace all 1,600 square feet of my home and make it a warm and inviting refuge. I will accept that my body post-kids will always be a little softer.
I want my days filled up with what I have, not emptied by what I don't.