A beautiful garden needs a rainy day

Jobs, relationships, friendships. We are all guilty of peering over the fence and saying the water looks nice over there, I’d like to dip my toes in! The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence mentality afflicts our generation more than any before us. The paradox of choice overwhelms us in all regards of life now. We are entrenched with technology that ‘enhances’ our lives. Apps that make it overwhelmingly easy to get dinner without moving a muscle, maybe you’d learn something about yourself, or find some peace after a long day, by cooking. Extensive social connection through screens; the person next to you has a lot to say, and they’re probably more authentic than anyone who fulfills their social needs by living on their phone. Alas, it’s easier to follow the trends and go with the modern ways; Why keep using one thing when another could be better? Who could blame someone for thinking like that, it’s only reasonable to want to test the unknown? 

Well, the part they forget to tell you at the end of that cliche, is that the grass is greener where you water it. Move to a new city because you didn’t like aspects of your old home? Be prepared to invest time in developing relationships and being patient, because it’s the people that make a place a home. Tired of the same old relationship? Don’t forget that consistency is half the battle and is not our enemy, even though the water on the other side of the fence can look devilishly inviting on a hot summer day. Stagnant at work? Are you truly invested in a mission and aligned with it or are you moping around thinking of what could be had in other positions? Sometimes we need to weather the storm and dance in the rain to appreciate the sun. 

All this should remind us, beautiful gardens aren’t grown in a day. We have to nurture them and support the flowers on the days where they’re drooping. The power lies in the hands of the man who refuses to quit. Victory is nice, but sometimes it can misguide us. A man with a million notches in his belt is the fool, in reality, while the man with one of extreme value may be the savant. The capacity for patience was given to us for a reason. Good things come to those who wait. But, damn, it can feel nice to hop over that fence and feel that delicately grown new grass and perfectly heated pool. It’s the constant tug of war. The devil on our shoulder can be the coolest guy at the party, yet the party surely ends, and the last one standing in that arena is never the winner. Choose wisely, we never know when the paradox will disappear and we’ll be left with a certainty of mundaneness that would drive any bloke mad.