The Myth of More

You couldn’t miss it.

The sign was posted on every entrance, on every post, sure to be noticed from whichever direction you arrived at the gate.

Please do not pick the vegetables and flowers from the garden, as they are for the restaurant.

Despite the sketchy grammar {the grammar-girl in me would have worded it a little differently}, the sentiment was perfectly understandable, of course. 

The garden can't be plundered by wandering tourists when a chef needs a handful of basil or a fresh tomato for a culinary creation.

But the message was clear.

What you see here is for someone else, not you. 

Peering through the slatted gate into a protected little garden patch is a little like observing the lives of those with more blooms on their vines  - - or more happiness, purpose and abundance in their lives. 

{Or so it seems.}

I think I’ve fallen for this myth. 

The myth that I need more of something in my life that I don’t have right now for me to be happy and satisfied and live the abundant life Jesus talked about in the Bible.

When it seems as if so many others around me have more, I wonder what I'm missing.

{Maybe you do too?}

Maybe you’d be happy with more time, more peace, more friendships, more money, more inspiration.

Or maybe it’s not more of some-thing, but it’s the one-thing that you don’t have.

Like a spouse, a baby, a home, or a job.

I fall for this false impression more often than I'd care to admit. It's the misconception that somebody else’s life looks a lot better than mine does. 

But maybe that's because I'm looking at it through slats that slant my view.

If Facebook and Instagram are my only mirrors, then those thoughts are probably justified. 

Everywhere I look are photos of beautiful children, exotic locations, amazing food, and extraordinary friends.

These carefully curated photos are accompanied by superlatives that magnify the lens of happiness for those of us looking. Bestie! This guy - - isn't he amazing? These kids! 

Sure, they’re just clever captions on social media, but they can drive me a little batty when I think about staging photos to tell the story of my super-long workday at the computer, salad-for-one eaten over my kitchen sink, and weekend errands to nowhere.

My head knows things aren’t necessarily what they seem, but my heart feels otherwise.

So I turn my thoughts {and my view} to what's in my own little garden and I think about being grateful.

I first imagine scenes of my life filled with all that I think I’m lacking. I think realistically about these scenarios. 

What would my days look like with a husband or kids or a full house and a fuller schedule?

Are they really as captivating as they look? How would I feel if things were different? 

And when I contemplate how my life would look if I did have what I think I'm missing, I start thinking that my life is pretty nice just the way it is.

That salad-by-the-sink? It's quick and easy, giving me time for writing, reading, praying and thinking without having to create and cook a nightly dinner menu.

The workday at the computer? It beautifully pays the bills and I'm so thankful for all the opportunities that an income provides. {Not to mention my travel budget!}

The weekend errands that seem dull and a little lonely? They're just my speed and style for how I like to relax after the workweek.

My days, my years, my story may be different from those that fill my social media streams but I’m living this one beautifully crafted story of my own and it suits me. 

So despite the sign {since it didn't prohibit entering}, I opened the gate and walked into the vegetable and herb garden anyway, just to have a look around. 

I had no intention of picking a flower, vegetable, or even a leaf. 

But truthfully, the garden looked a little dead to me. I saw lots of brown stalks and a few green things here and there, but it looked as if it needed some tending to. 

I wasn't sure if it was supposed to look this way since it was fall, or if maybe it wasn't quite the robust, blossoming garden that the sign implied.

Maybe appearances are a little deceiving sometimes.

I walked right back out the gate, without the faintest desire to pick anything.

I'm having coffee with my friends at Holley Gerth's place at Coffee for your Heart. Join me there for more posts from my blogger friends!