I get asked this question quite often so I thought I’d write about it. Is the grass really greener on the other side? First of all, where is the grass, and which side are you looking at? North, South, East, or West? It makes a difference… Is it bright green grass? Dead grass? Hawaiian grass? Better known as sand… So in that particular case, yes, it’s much better…

I’m wondering who even thought of that phrase, “Is the grass greener on the other side”… was it a snooping person who decided to check out his neighbor’s backyard, got jealous, and got caught by his other neighbor on the other side (whichever side it was) who said “So, is the grass greener or what?” I’d put all my money on that one for sure…

But back to the actual concept… You know, I think no matter what side you’re on, the grass on the other side will always looks greener… that’s just how life is… It reminds me of a movie, “Keeping up with the Steins”, where one family had to outdo another family in everything they did, no matter what it was… one family bought a new fridge, so the other family bought a new stove… new car, new boat… new dog, new wife…

For instance, if you had children and on the other side you didn’t have children, on one hand it would be nice because you’d have a break and you’d be free and get to do what you want… but still, you’d be giving up your own flesh and blood… so yeah you’d have more time on your hands, but is giving up your kids really worth it? If you loved them enough to have them, you should love them enough to keep them.

Or my personal favorite that I hear all the time, “If only I had more money, all my problems would be gone“… I’ve used that excuse many times and now I’ve stopped because I realized how stupid I looked saying it… I mean, I make a lot more money than I used to, and you know what, I like to go shopping and buy stuff – I won’t lie… So do you really think that since I make more money that I seem to have all this money in the world to buy a new house and do whatever I want? No… With more money comes “more responsibility” and a heck of a lot more debt because as you make more, you wanna buy more and buy nicer things cuz “Now I can afford it”…

If you had more money, your current financial problems would be gone… but then you’d have a whole knew set of problems… People don’t realize that… Just because you win the Lottery doesn’t mean you’re problems are solved… Now you have to deal with different financial problems that come along with having more money.

For instance: 1) The IRS and all those other tax people (whoever “they” are) will be after you for what they think belong to them, even though it’s your money… and 2) People you know will want to borrow all your money cuz “Hey, you got lucky with winning the Lottery, you should help out poor little ole’ me!” Not to say that I don’t hope to win the Lottery some day, I would just hope that I wouldn’t go the same route  and lose it before I have a chance to do anything with it. You’d be surprised to know the percentage of people who have won the Lottery and are now broke…

I think this is the whole reason why I tell people not to drink to get drunk… Maybe for a moment the problems go away and you feel “cured”… but when the buzz wears off and you’ve finally gotten over your hangover, you’re still right back in the same place where you started with the same problems and the same issues. So what’s the point? I’d rather someone learn to deal with the problems at hand and learn how to get over them so maybe next time they’ll know what to do because they faced them before…

Look at me… I’m single… It’s hard finding Mr. Right… and I do want to get married and have kids… do I enjoy single life? Yeah! But do I want to find someone and get married? Yeah again! There’s always going to be something that someone wants… no matter what it is… a better job, a better home, better friends, better hair, yada yada yada…

Life is never going to be easy whatever side of the grass you’re on… Whether you’re rich or poor, single or married, and the list goes on… Whether you have bright green grass, dead grass, or Hawaiian grass (my favorite and always will be). All that matters is that as long as you’re working towards what you really want in life, then the grass will always be where it needs to be when it needs to be and what color it needs to be, no matter who you are or at what point you are in your life…

Just make the best out of the grass you’re on…

The grass in my front yard is practically dead… do I wish I had my neighbor’s pretty green grass? YEAH! But would I be able to still park my car on that pretty grass? No… So what’s the point?

I’d rather have dead grass and my parking spot!