Last year, Joanna Gaines went to Italy. She posted pictures from the trip on her Instagram feed, and seeing her posts made me remember how much I want to travel there again. I love Italy! I went there a few years ago with my sister, and we had the best time. I would love to go back someday with Trav.
As I sat there scrolling away on my phone, my feelings started to get a little wonky, and I realized I had a choice to make: I could let that longing for Italy turn into jealousy or I could choose to be inspired to dream. I could compare my circumstances to Joanna’s or I could choose to be thankful.
I do not always make the healthier choice to be inspired. I often compare, and in my uglier moments, I pick apart and look for flaws in the person whose pictures I’m looking at. I’ve found that if a sarcastic thought crosses my mind along the lines of, “Well, that must be nice…”, it is definitely time for me to get off of the internet and turn towards the things in my life that I’m so grateful for.
But, by God’s grace, sometimes I’m able to choose inspiration and thankfulness. I’m so glad that Joanna Gaines went to Italy! The reality is that I didn’t want to go to Italy right then. That’s not something we’re planning for or saving up for in the near future. So how great is it that Joanna Gaines got to go and I got to look at beautiful pictures that inspired her? And I’m pretty sure that Italian inspiration will lead her to create and share something with all of us that we’ll see in her magazine or on sale at Magnolia or Target next year. We’ll get to benefit from her trip because she is generous with her creativity. She shares her inspiration with all of us.
I’m really the only one who misses out when I turn toward jealousy and comparing circumstances, rather than turning toward thankfulness.
A healthy reminder, Laura. Thanks for describing what others of us have experienced but never put into words. We always have a choice as to how we respond.