It's a Trade

You walk into a party dressed to the nines with your makeup on point. The air smells like your favorite food. There are people there, but none of them seem to want to talk to you. They stare and whisper as you pass by. You maintain confidence long enough to duck into a bathroom and use a mirror to check if anything seems amiss. Your hair is fine. So is everything else. There's no giant food stain on your clothes. Even so, the party guests seem to be repulsed by the sight of you. Running your hands over your clothes you decide that the problem is your body. Because of this, you decide to limit yourself to the vegetable platter for the rest of the party.

When home, you check your social media. There are pictures of you everywhere. "I'm so jealous." "I wish I looked like you." "You're so lucky." You don't feel as lucky as everyone claims you are because people disperse at the mere sight of you. It happens everywhere you go: your favorite coffee shop, your job, just walking down the street. No one says "Hi." They just stare and whisper. You think about posting about what you experienced, but you decide against it. It's easier to be pretty, isn't it? Who are you to complain when so many people want what you have?

Do you think it is better to be so ugly that you repulse people or so pretty that you scare them away? Remember that just because someone has a characteristic that supposedly makes their life easier doesn't mean it always does. How did it feel to be the pretty person in the story? Isolating? Confusing? Like you weren't really that pretty?

Milestone envy has always struck a chord with me. Everything has a price and these posts seem to dismiss that. Contrary to popular belief, a milestone is not an absolute gain. It's a trade. The price of walking is falling more often. The price of talking is saying the wrong thing. The price of intelligence is not being able to relate to those around you. The price of talent is having absolutely no sense of satisfaction. The price of being able to do things is making mistakes. Some things have heftier price tags than others and some have hidden fees. There are negative and/or untrue assumptions for pretty much everything, even positive qualities.

Remember: Even the best of gains have a price. That group of kids you envy have sacrificed many other things to be where they are.

Watch these musicians. What do you think they traded to be here?