I didn’t realize the northern lights were going to be visible in my area. I’d never heard of them being visible before. I’d had a busy week and wasn’t up on the news. I stopped by a friend’s house, and she mentioned it.
I probably would have still missed it except I went outside a little after dark to water flowers. I looked up and saw some waves of pink. It was subtle, not the vibrancy many saw. It moved and brightened a little. I saw some green tones as well. The next day, I saw amazing photos on social media. Many people said the colors were more visible through their phone cameras, but that wasn’t true for me. It was more visible to me with my eyes alone. I tried to take a couple photos. They didn’t come out well. But I certainly enjoyed others’ photos. I probably would have seen more had I driven through the country. But what I saw was enough.
Sometimes it’s an empty feeling to consider what we missed even if we think what we experienced was simply not enough. Pictures are prettier, smiles are bigger, vacations are better, accomplishments are more. But none of that diminishes our experiences. It’s only when we compare others on a sliding scale of perceived better or worse.
Comparison can motivate us at times. We can set goals because of what we see is possible. We get ideas. We network. We collaborate. We caution. We avoid. All because we compare. But that same process of comparison depresses us at other times. It tells us we’re not enough. It stirs dissatisfaction where there needs to be none.
What we miss might not be nearly as important as we think. We need to keep it in context, letting it motivate and give us ideas without robbing us of the experiences we can appreciate. We can simultaneously experience our now as enough while setting goals and gathering inspiration for more if we want it. We can appreciate how others’ advice, photos, and stories broaden what we know and what we experience.
I won’t see the northern lights again soon, if ever. But that’s okay. I caught a glimpse, and I saw a lot of different perspectives I would have never seen on my own, including the photo taken from the road I grew up on. We can’t be in more than one place at once, but we can appreciate that others we know can broaden our perspective and experiences.