Reply to Envious of these types of people

Forum Index » Off-Topic

Reply to "Envious of these types of people "

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]This is a very narrow ideal of excellence, though. I don't disagree that it is laudable. I have friends like this and I very much appreciate the energy they bring to their lives and how hard they work at their careers and arranging their life just so. We are visiting friends like this today, actually -- they are hosting because they are so good at it and their house is perfectly conducive to it. I am grateful to have them in my life.

But something I learned a long time ago is that if you let go of the idea that this is the "best" or only way to live, you can find ways to perfect who you are more naturally and make your life very beautiful and enjoyable, all without having to somehow become the same as these people (I will never have the ambition or energy or attention to detail for that, much less the money).

My family lives in a small home, but it is artfully decorated with lots of color and items from our travels. I love the color of Scandinavian design but the relaxed vibe of continental eclecticism and our home marries those ideas. Anyone can pick up a copy of Architectural Digest and get ideas, even for a little bungalow with an unrenovated kitchen. I love little details like buying fresh flowers for the dining table every week and putting out DD's colorful artwork from school in proper frames. Is it perfect? Not at all. Is it charming and pleasant? Yes.

And we bring the same ethos to the rest of our life. We go on budget vacations but we put extra effort into finding the best little budget hotel in Vienna. We own a nice camera and take artful but imperfect photos. Our child is not athletic but she is kind and artistically inclined and loves to read, and we encourage those interests and adore her and she flourishes in her own way. Our careers are not high flying or highly paid, but we have exceptional work-life balance that allows us plenty of leisure time for cooking, baking, hiking, and other more relaxed pursuits.

I think we have a very enviable life. Our friends who are like your SIL sometimes envy it, even, because the energy and dedication that goes into what they do must be intense. Being less ambitious, less wealthy, less beautiful or athletic or perfect, does not have to mean being a lazy slob. Lean into what you love and what you are best at. It's cheesy, but being the best version of yourself instead of trying to be a pale imitation of a totally different sort of person is a good approach to life.[/quote]

Love, love, love this post.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics