My mother and sister were in town two weeks ago so, because he
has a large house, my younger brother's place is where we chose
to have the family gathering.
As we entered his development and drove past the nicely
manicured lawns, professionally-designed landscaping and plenty
of spectacular dwellings with huge curb appeal, I admonished
myself, "See, if only you had been more 'successful' like your
brother is, you and your family could be enjoying the benefits
of living in a neighborhood like this, too!"
I certainly wasn't envious of my brother, just disappointed in
myself for not having been able to better provide for my family.
Later that week, we also took my mother and sister to view each
of my daughters' new houses. While they are each wonderful,
first-time-homeowner houses, something strange happened. I found
myself longing for the spaciousness and comfort of my own home,
the same home I had only recently diminished in my eyes!
I further realized that after a few months of familiarity with
their elegant new home, even my brother and his wife may have
desired an even nicer dwelling in an even more upscale
community. As you had written,
The problem with wanting more is that it never stops, and most
find that even when they get "the stuff," it's not what they
thought in terms of real contentment.
How silly of me to be so concerned with something that really
doesn't matter! That thought was even punctuated by a comment my
sister then made later during her visit: "I really like your
house!" she said.
"Our brother's house just seems so . . . dark."