I was having a conversation with a friend of mine this morning about therapy.
They LOVE it. Every time they go, it's like a mental spring cleaning. Doors and windows thrown WIDE OPEN. All sorts of thinky exploration and investigation.
Their partner on the other hand, doesn't feel the same way. They see a different therapist, for different issues. They loathe it. Each week, going to the session is an effort fraught with misery.
My friend feels some guilt over this. I told them, "It's not bad that you enjoy something which your partner dreads. Your positive experience does not negate or diminish the difficulty which they experience."
I finished by adding, "Comparison is nobody's friend."
That got me thinking. What do we gain when we resolve NOT to compare ourselves to others?
What is the inherent experience of comparing ourselves only to ourselves like?
For me, it means I can embrace gradual change. It's never too late to get a new skill, get in better shape, write a new book, make some sweeping life changes.
My life is a race, but only with myself. It's not the finish line that matters.
One day my race will be run. I'll do what countless multitudes have done before me, and will do after me:
I'll die.
But that doesn't matter. It's not the end of the story that matters to me. It's all the chapters before it.