Anyone Else's Life

I don’t want
Anyone else’s life
But I would like
My life to be easier

I don’t want

Anyone else’s life
But when I listen
To people describe their own lives
I sometimes wish
They were more grateful

More aware of how good they have it

I want to say

Enjoy this
This is the good part
Don’t lose your mind
Over the small stuff

Petty fights over who left the milk out

Or the choice of window treatments
Or the few extra pounds
Or the To Do list things that didn’t get done

I want to say

Try not to lose your mind
Over things you actually have control over
Over things you can decide
Not to give energy to

Save your energy for the big stuff

For the things over which
You will have no control
For life’s true hardships

But I guess you can’t know that

Until life shows it to you
Can’t fully appreciate
Life’s normal ups and downs
Until the bottom falls out from under you
And up doesn’t exist for a while

I don’t want

Anyone else’s life
I’ve worked way too hard
On my own life
To trade it in

But I often wish

Others appreciated
The ease of their lives
Like I can appreciate it
So very easily
From a distance
From a place of unease