The grass is greener on the other side. Have you ever heard that cliche? Well, it isn’t necessarily true. Believe it or not, the grass is greener where you water it. Think about it…
I’ve got a neighbor whose mowed his lawn less than ten times in the four years we’ve lived in our home. The backyard literally looks like a forest. One of the weeds that hadn’t been cut in a few years, turned into a tree!
What about your yard? If your lawn is turning brown, you’ve got weeds growing up everywhere, and not a single flower has been planted, then your lawn maintenance is severely lacking. Not only that, but you may get a few phone calls or letters from your local homeowner’s association requiring you to take care of your lawn before they fine you. Just like nonpayment of homeowner association fees can be cause for eviction from your neighborhood, lack of lawn care maintenance can decrease the value of your home during appraisals. Taking care of home is essential just as taking care of your body. Why would you neglect yourself? Do you dislike yourself that much that you wouldn’t keep your hair, nails, feet, clothes, shoes, etc up to par?
Your relationship is similar to your home. You wouldn’t want to have others come over to your home and you’re the next candidate for a hoarders intervention, would you? Has your grass not been cut in over a year like my neighbor? The only thing you’ve done to that yard by not caring for it sooner is cause your lawnmower to work overtime in order to push it forward. Relationships are the same way. Neglected, unattended, unkempt relationships are just like those tall weeds that have taken over your lawn. It is harder to cut through and move forward if neglected… but if you take the time to care for your relationship, to invest in getting to know what your mate likes or dislikes, to make sure that your partner is satisfied, and to keep the lines of communication open, then you set yourself up to have a beautiful “lawn” that is not greener on the other side of the fence…it is greener in your own yard.