The Everythingers

Envy or gratitude, which one will you choose? I think envy is etched into our hearts through the illusion that there are people out there who have it all. I call them the “everythingers.” In high school they had good looks, good grades and good luck. They were the cheerleaders, jocks and homecoming court. Everybody liked them. We all wanted to be like them. If we were lacking some key ingredient, we felt defective. The marketers know this. They sell us weight loss pills, plastic surgery, overpriced make-up, steroids, and expensive online degree programs. They whisper “you can still make it” and “you may not have been born with the goods, but you can buy them.”

First of all, the everythinger perception is a myth. Someone may appear to have it all, but no one has it all for their whole life. Just like us mere mortals, they gain weight, get divorced, lose money on investments, struggle with their jobs, get frustrated with their children, lose loved ones and eventually die. Does it make any sense to envy them, or to try to become like them, or try to be like anyone else for that matter? Really? Ya think? What a recipe for misery.

I woke up a little grumpy this morning (as usual) and the unseasonably gray skies didn’t help. So I just started saying “thank you.” Thank you for my job, thank you for this breakfast, thank you for this car that still runs and gets me to work. Thank you for my husband, he’s a peach. I have my imperfections, just like the everythingers. I’d like to be in Hawaii snorkeling. My hair won’t do anything in damp weather. Oh well, I’ll hit the pool instead. My hair will look the same. I can eat a little healthier today, work out and firm up. I can choose less coffee and less alcohol and feel better. I like my eyelashes. And I like who I am today. Not every day, but today I can start over.

How often do we ask God “why?” when something bad happens? But do we ask “why?” when something good happens? No, that’s just expected. It’s a mixed bag. We can’t choose everything. But we can choose gratitude. That’ll do.