I woke up at 3:00am this morning to get to LAX. On the drive to the airport, I was reminded of my early flight time -but in in a good way.
“I can watch the sunrise from the air!"
I don’t know what it is about sunrises; they get me every time.
They help me appreciate my life.
A little while later, I boarded the plane and realized I had a window seat. Score.
Then I overheard a flight attendant announce that those traveling alone would have a row to themselves. Double score.
The plane took off and the city lights flickered.
The moon was bright in the sky and I was mesmerized by the twinkling lights filling my little window - my gaze was held captive.
Los Angeles - Playa del Rey - December 31, 2020 - 6:15 AM
6:00am flights don’t suck after all.
A strip of red rose up along the skyline and began to expand — colors of orange filled the sky. I grabbed my phone to take a picture.
Then I noticed something.
The girl in the row of seats across from me was taking pictures too.
And it hit me.
Her side was THE BETTER SIDE!
She had the BETTER sunrise on her side!
Her entire view was lit up by a giant pink sky and orange flecks. And I mean neon pink, in every corner of her little iPhone screen.
Not fair! I wish I had that view!
And then it hit me- this is how the stupid game of comparison starts.
I looked back at my side and smiled. “Wait a second, Elsa— your view is just as beautiful. It’s just different."
The red and orange hues quickly turned pink and the sky was now filled with the most beautiful purplish blue color. The plane glided over mountains that didn't even look real.
6:38 AM
Turns out, both sides were the better side of the plane.
My view didn’t have the shocking pink colors like the other side, but it was still stunning.
I still smiled.
I still enjoyed it.
And it was a beautiful moment to reflect on how far I’ve come.
6:43 AM
If you know me (or have ever watched an Everyday with Elsa), you might know where I’m going with this:
We spend our lives comparing our window views to other people’s window views.
We are perfectly content with our little lives until we look to our right or left.
“Their life is better!"
"Not fair!"
"I wanted that!”
But why are we comparing sunrises!??
I think it’s the same reason we compare everything else.
Spouses, bodies, jobs... status, income level, families...
They’re pregnant, they got a raise, they bought a house, they got engaged...they have all the things I want. Why can’t I have that?!
And the list goes on.
Why do we always think everyone else’s life is better than our own?
No one else is you.
No one else gets to live the life you’re living.
Your life so beautiful - you just have to see it that way.
If you don’t like something or wish you had something someone else had - go get it.
Get after it.
Stop making excuses.
But the thing no one tells you about comparison? You can't just compare the joys.
In order for you to have all the things that person has that you so desperately want?
You'd have to have all their pain too.
And that's the wild thing about comparison — you really don’t know.
You really don’t know how hard anyone else’s life is.
You might be comparing your life to someone else’s and be jealous of so many things they have, but I could bet they have something in their life that is terrible that you would never want to have.
Comparing robs us of our present joy.
Comparing robs us of our peace.
Comparing robs us of loving our OWN lives.
Let’s all make our New Year’s resolutions this year to stop comparing.
Everyone has something hard — but everyone also has something just as beautiful.
Your life is just as beautiful as anyone else’s— it’s just your job to start seeing it that way.
Theodore Roosevelt said it so well,
“Comparison is the thief of joy.”
xx
E
8:34 AM
Written: December 31, 2020
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