Beard Envy

Ed and I once met this guy with a beard, a beard like nothing we had ever seen before. It was jet black( fiercely so), full, light reflected off its healthy sheen that from a particular angle, you'd think the hair was white. We decided to ask what his secret was. "Coconut oil", He said. Nothing else. He couldn't do anything wrong in my eyes with that beard. Of course, we both took a picture with him (not him really, but with his beard).

So did Ed have beard envy?

No, Ed didn't have beard envy. I did. I wondered, "How could someone have such an awesome beard and I don't?! All that awesome chin hair."  If that guy ran for the presidency, he'd win. No joke

I know. I know. I'm female. But that doesn't matter! Why don't I have that beard?

Why don't I have a beard?

Sulk.

Irrational? That's exactly what our thoughts sound like when we envy other people. 

Lol!

Why don't I have that?

Envy is a show of discontentment with our present circumstances, which could be a good thing if properly addressed. Envy makes us lose sight of who we are, what we have, what we are able to achieve, what we represent. 

Let's say I decided to lose sleep over getting a beard and started rubbing coconut oil on my chin. Imagine if my chin is still hairless after a year? I’d get frustrated and bitter, and every time I see the guy with the presidential beard, I'd go bright green with envy- getting all green in the face for something that isn't tied to my destiny and purpose. 

Do we ever wonder what our path should be in life and if we are on it? Or do we veer off by staring at someone else fulfilling their dreams, envying them?  What if you don’t need that person’s endowments to achieve your goals? What if I don’t need a beard to be great? Envy has never driven anyone to pure success. Instead, it has driven many down dark paths in which most of their dreams are mediocre and unrealized and they forever sit on the sidelines of someone else’s race, hoping to get on their own tracks but they never do. 

I've stopped pining for beards and the awesomeness of others, instead, I celebrate my bald chin and all the treasure that exists within my being.

Edited at Will Rogers Airport, during a 9-hour flight delay.