Thursday, December 8, 2011

THE GRASS IS GREENER...EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE STANDING

The other day I was forced to take a sick day, by doctor's orders, and I found myself flipping through the television using the ever-convenient 'On Demand' feature. The young co-ed in me immediately gravitated towards reruns of Sex & The City on HBO. I selected an episode at random, having watched the whole series at least three times over, and found myself lost in their story line illustrating the contrasting lifestyles of 'Single in the City' and 'Pregnant in the 'Burbs'. The majority of the thirty minute episode was spent jumping between scenes that point out some of the pros and cons of each role, but the concluding punch-line is really what I found to be the most entertaining: each woman envied the lifestyle of the other.

Terrified of the monotonoy of the suburbs, Mother-to-Be longed to put on her pair of Jimmy Choos that had been collecting dust in the back of her closet (behind her more sensible and comfortable Cole Haan flats) and, in contrast, Single in the City was burnt out on the ever exhausting dating adventures and ready to trade in the stilettos and small talk for something of appealing stability. The episode hit home as I lingered on the couch and looked inward at my own life of Single in the City.  I thought about the many moments when I had flashed my wax smile at the latest baby shower and squeezed out a less than genuine (and way too high pitched) "Congratulations!" -- when often I was envious of the new chapter that my girlfriend was embarking upon and wishing I could hit the fast forward button on life to just 'get past' this whole dating gig.

I was describing this process of thought to a girlfriend over a glass of wine the following evening and her response, after laughing and telling me "You really are able to view all matters in life through SATC colored lenses while the rest of us settle for rose tinted.", was that the whole concept was powerful in it's simplicity.  We long to look ahead, but perhaps at the price of appreciating the present moment -- a moment that could be gone in an instant!

Being Single in the City gives the freedom of deciding in the middle of a tough work day that all you want to do later that night is grab martinis with a girlfriend as a stress relief and not have to apologize, or ask permission, to anyone for such a thing. On the flip side, being Settled in Suburbia can mean declining the office happy hour invitation because you are looking forward to getting home to spend the evening with your spouse watching the latest episode of Dancing with the Stars -- knowing that you will be warmly greeted by a familiar smile as soon as you walk in the door.  Will martini nights get 'boring' night after night?  Perhaps.  Will the weekly routine of your favorite show feel monotonous?  It's a definite possibility.

Whatever stage in life currently defines your existence, there is a pretty good chance that someone else is looking at the plot of grass you are standing on and thinking it might be a bit greener under your shoes.

I dare you to defy the odds, and our social tendency, and not focus your gaze across the pond at someone else's grass. Instead, look down at exactly where you are standing and appreciate the blades of grass for all that they have to offer. There is a good chance that you won't be standing in this exact spot for long -- life is ever changing -- and if you never return to this place wouldn't it be a shame if it were overlooked and under estimated?

I will be the first to admit "lawn envy" -- but today I will look at the ground below me with gratitude and excitement for the freedom and adventure that Single in the City can bring into the everyday. After all, if I wasn't standing here's, then how could I entertain my married and pregnant friends with all the storties from my "Dating Diaries"?



Image Courtesy of Redhead-Fashionista.com


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