By E K Wills
We recently moved from a house we were bursting out of and into one with a spacious open plan. It felt like all our Christmases came at once!
I remember when we took the leap, it had everything I had hoped for (except off street parking and a second shower but who’s keeping tabs?).
Enough space for all three children; a rumpus downstairs, even a media room, and a family room, which now makes three areas that require sofas!
It felt like being on holiday because we could look at a water view from our bi-folding expansive windows.
It is nearly 6 months since we moved and we have spent every waking moment settling in, including erecting the above ground pool in the backyard for summer.
And during that time the dust has settled, literally, in the corners of kids’ rooms that already need re-organising. And now that our things are in situ, they look tired ,,,.which, of course, they are from family wear and tear.
We have moved into a more upmarket neighbourhood: one in which the neighbour scoffed at our 3.6m round pool, “What are you going to do, all sit around in it together?”
Suddenly people have holiday houses and boats, annual overseas holidays and parties. There is always a party in a backyard near us that we get to eavesdrop on because the acoustics work that way here.
Speaking of the grass is always greener, my girls look at the next house, call it the mansion, and ask whether we could be that rich. Interestingly, they are normal people who have been together for years, worked, owned for over a decade, and renovated only a couple of years ago.
The danger is there to feel envy at them rather than gratitude for what we have now. FOMO or fear of missing out. It’s nothing new but we have to contend with it every day.
FOMO is the fear that your experiences aren't good enough when compared to those of others. It’s part of the culture we live in that drives us to compare ourselves to our peers. Similarly, social media heightens that feeling every time we log in and see someone’s fabulous holiday or another flashy restaurant dish someone else is enjoying.
It can help to remind yourself that everyone filters their best to project out to others.
I wonder at human nature and our ability to set goals, strive for them, achieve them then move on to the next one. It happens all the time and each time you think this goal will be the ultimate and it becomes just the hurdle before the next.
It is natural to have drive and ambition (well for some, anyway).
But change brings its own challenges because now we will adjust to a new house, a new routine and a new neighbourhood, with different expectations.
Ultimately, you decide what is important in your life so you can focus on your goals as your own PB (personal best).
How about a new year’s resolution to stay on track with self-goals rather than what the Joneses have? I’m going to try…
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