I just finished reading The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks. Not my favorite Sparks novel, but still an excellent read – and I might have cried at the end. I won’t ruin it for you, but I do want to share a powerful takeaway from the book that has left me thinking for days.
Amanda, the female protagonist, is visiting her hometown for a funeral. Her mother, Evelyn, can tell Amanda is having marital problems, but doesn’t have the relationship with Amanda to discuss it. The following passage is Evelyn’s internal response to her growing suspicions:
If Amanda had asked, Evelyn would have admitted that, and she also would have reminded her daughter in the same breath that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. What the younger generation didn’t understand was that the grass was greenest where it’s watered, which meant that both Frank and Amanda had to get out their hoses if they wanted to make things better. But Amanda hadn’t asked.
Evelyn Collier – The Best of Me, Nicholas Sparks
Fiction books rarely possess the kind of candor that cuts to the heart of a reader speaking truth into life (those types of experiences usually happen between me and a self-help book), but here in the pages of a romance novel is a truth too profound to overlook.
It is so easy to play the-grass-is-always-greener comparison game. I’m not just talking Evelyn’s musings on marriage and husbands. I’m talking the I-wish-we-had-the-money-for-fill-in-the-blank and the why-can’t-I-look-like-that-mom-in-those-clothes type of comparisons. I’m sure you can relate.
It’s painstakingly easy to fall into the discontentment trap of life and yet the hand up is often easier to grasp than we think. Green grass doesn’t magically appear because you want it really bad. It comes by rolling up your sleeves, pulling out the hose, and spraying your lawn with water every day.
We’ve had some really exciting days in the last couple of weeks and we’ve had some disappointing ones as well. I’ve spent my share of moments wishing for things to be different, looking at everyone else and wanting the apparent ease with which they live their lives . . . but that’s just me gawking at the neighbors grass.
Sure there are things in my life I have no control over, but I would get so much farther with the ones I do if I just stopped gawking and picked up a hose.
Where in life do you need to water?
I love Starbucks white mochas, Rookie Blue, and long afternoons with a compelling novel. I'm a wife, a mother and a writer, but more than anything, I want to be remembered as a woman of faith.
great perspective and so true!
Thanks Mindy
Picking up that hose – sometimes so hard to do! Good reminder.
I completely agree. There are a few things I struggle to work on instead of complain about . . . one being weight loss . . .
Excellent and true post, Christine!
Blessings to you as you run your race and water your grass! The analogy is good, because when trials (like a drought) comes, the grass will wither by default unless we actively and intentionally water it. It’s true for all of us. Good word!
Thanks Amy!
I found your blog from the Coast to Coast link-up on Shane’s blog and was just stopping by to say ‘hi’ as I’m from the Northern Illinois area =)
I found your blog from the Coast to Coast link-up on Shane’s blog and was just stopping by to say ‘hi’ as I’m from the Northern Illinois area =)
Feel free to check out my blog too – http://pointme2theskyabove.blogspot.com
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I totally feel like- often in fact. I just recently came to conclusion of this very truth you pointed out – the grass is always greener where it is watered. Trying to make changes in my own life. You can\’t get anywhere without taking the first step. Very encouraging!
Thanks so much for stopping by Sarah. I completely agree with your comment – that first step is so hard, but once you get going you’re going
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Christine- Thanks so much for such a wonderfully inspiring post. I literally stumbled here this morning while doing some research on a blog post of my own that I was republishing from some time ago. As a result I ended up totally rewriting the latter portion of the post. Thanks! I needed that!
Thank you so much for your kind comments. Looking forward to reading your post!