It Looks Easy

"Marriage is like twirling a baton, turning a handspring, or eating with chopsticks; it looks so easy until you try it." - Helen Rowland, journalist

At times, looks can be deceiving to me. I have a tendency to compare my insides with other people's outsides. If people appear to be happy then I assume they must be. Nothing could be farther from the truth. My challenge has been remembering that fact when I'm feeling envious or unsure of myself.

Comparing my insides to other people's outsides gets me nowhere. Today my purpose is to live in truth and the truth is that everyone has struggles as well as victories. I remember a time in my life when I forced myself to wear a mask to hide just how messed up I really was. I wanted people to think I was organized, secure in self, and always perfect. I wasn't any of those things but I felt it was necessary to project this kind of image anyway. I don't think I was very successful at this endeavor but I persisted anyway.

Today I live my life differently. Today, what you see in me is what I am for the most part. When I'm struggling, I share what's going on with my close friends. When good things are happening, I share that too. It's a much easier way to live and I'm able to bond with my friends more if I'm open and honest with them. They feel safer around me and allow themselves to be open and honest with me as well. It's a great way to live.

Yes, marriage may not be as easy as it looks in some cases. But if we remember this fact, then we're apt to treat people in a kinder way and appreciate their efforts in marriage and every other aspect of life. Today I will appreciate everything my friends are experiencing, knowing that nothing is always as easy as it looks.