“The grass always appears greener on the other side of the fence.”
The phrase above dates back to a first-century BC Greek poet named Ovid. The original saying was, “The harvest is always richer in another man's field,” and we love this maxim because we finally possess an accurate picture of reality. We finally understand perspective and have an eye for realism.
For most of our lives, we dreamed of attaining what others seemed to have: a peace delivered by the material and a hope endlessly served up. We sought the greenness of happiness and joy. We envied their harvest while neglecting our own fields. We saw what they wanted us to see, and we were compelled to clone at any cost.
While we lived under a bridge of despair, distress, and distance, we witnessed communities covered by tangibility, triumph, and tightness. As constant drought destroyed our outlook and withered our faith, we observed those flush with optimism while seemingly spiritually strong.
Why did they have the better house, car, job, and wife? Why were they handsome, athletic, and intelligent so much more than us? Why their shine and our dullness? Why did their harvest compare so abundant to our scarce take? Why was the grass so much greener across the fence?
Our turning point arrived the moment we admitted that our grass was our responsibility—that our lot had been created by our own hands and by the crafter of all. Our flip was based on our perspective. When we took ownership of our properties, we put the outcome back into our own hands and could then tend to the garnering and gathering. When we put our faith in the master of the universe, we ensure the greenness we desire.
It has also been said that “we can admit all we want, but we have to believe it to get better truly.” For us, we had to buy in 100%. This we could not get wrong. We had to change everything for the one thing to change. We took our new start and landed in a new place.
We embraced the spiritual steps and moved from our side to the other side. We practiced what was preached to us: We kept coming back, we let go of a world of control and let God direct as he might, we plugged into the fellowship, we faced the truth, and we did the work.
Did we stand on greener grass? Truthfully, our focus was on our feet and not the fence. It no longer mattered who had what as we shifted our attention to what we were thankful for. Life became an exercise in appreciation for the lawn that lay before us.
We have moved on from the bridge that bound us to a street of serenity. We no longer foolishly gaze and make assumptions based on little fact. Today, we care more about others' needs than ours as our harvest continues in abundance.
We continue to sprinkle equal parts of honesty, accountability, communication, and community on our side of the fence and let nature do its thing. This has worked for us for countless days, and we can't imagine messing with this formula for success.
We live with content at our new address, 123 Serenity Drive. It is a happy home built with grit and sweat and under the constant guidance of the creator of all addresses.
We know that there are those looking over the fence in awe of our gain. We invite everybody to our side of the street—it starts with a simple step.
Thoughts and ideas for this blog post were taken and built upon from a sober.coffee podcast “#60 titled “Lynn's Story of Experience, Strength & Hope” … The podcast dropped on 5/18/2022. Click here to hear the podcast.
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Alcoholics Anonymous and AA are registered trademarks of Alcoholics World Service. Inc. References to AA, the 12 steps, and 12 traditions does not mean that AA has reviewed or approved the contents of this publication nor that AA agrees with the views expressed herein. This publication is intended to support personal growth and should not be considered a substitute for healthcare professionals' advice. The author’s advice and viewpoints are their own.
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