"Envy is counting the other fellow's blessings instead of your own."

Allow me to take a moment for some bitchiness.

I have a great aversion to people who desire envy.  These are the people who can't really appreciate their own accomplishments, their own happiness, their own path, unless someone is envying them.  Coveting their belongings. Wishing for their life.

Do not court me as your awestruck audience. Do not use me as a tally mark in your secret scorebook.  I'm not interested in being tallied.

I will very willingly be happy for you.  I will rejoice in your happiness as you climb your own mountain.  I will recognize your hard work, your sacrifices, and your endurance to reach your goals.  I will marvel over the beauty of your belongings, and share your glee as your create a surrounding that fits your soul. But, please... do not expect me to yearn to BE you!!  That I will not do. 

Allow me to applaud you from my own vantage point, where I am very happy and climbing, trekking on my own path.  I find your path lovely, but I find my path equally lovely.  Really!

I have my own landmarks that spark my personal fire. Not less, just different.

All of us are creating personal notches.  Getting our footing. Sometimes slipping, even falling.  Rising again and marching on.  Enjoying the scenery on paths, curves, and turns that weren't planned.  My path is twisty. Sometimes I don't use a map, sometimes I need a guide.  I love the whimisical journey, even the storms, and the choice to go off course to chase a butterfly.  I want to gather flowering friends along the way, carrying a bouquet of colors in my heart.  I want to build memories using all of my senses. A song. A smell. A taste. A touch.  Each reminding me of a moment, a person, a life postcard.

This is me.  It works for me.

I want to know about your path.  I want to experience other mountains, other journeys, listening, learning, sitting next to you and turning the pages of your album of life. I may even consider walking some of those paths, to see what they can bring to me.  That is the grandeur of this life.  We can each walk a path and come back with an entirely different assortment of memories.

Be happy for yourself! This is good stuff, and you don't need anyone else to amplify your experience. It is remarkable enough to stand on it's own, so applaud yourself and relish in yourself.  That is good enough!  I am strongly capable of loving your experiences without wanting to secretly trail you.

I will never put on your shoes. 
I will never hope to have your legs, eyes, or gut. 
For, they would not fit me.