Why can’t I be you?

We’ve all done it – wanted to live someone else’s life. I remember, years ago, when I was miserable in my job; my 45 minute commute seemed like forever. I would watch people who were jogging or walking leisurely in my neighborhood or on the streets I passed to get to the highway and wondered, “What do they do for a living?” Maybe they had a wealthy spouse and they didn’t have to work. Perhaps they were freelancers who set their own schedule and worked out of their homes. Who knows, maybe they had won the lotto and were now independently wealthy?

Whatever the case may have been with any of these people, I could only imagine, wonder, pine for their life. However I had no idea what happened behind the closed doors of their homes, the activities they participated in, the way they earned their livings. Therefore, being jealous of their lives was rather silly.

I realize now, after having been unemployed for over a year and being one of those people who took morning walks and jogs while the rest of the world was driving their cars to their workplaces, rushing not to be late, sipping from their coffee cups to wake up, someone passing me by on their commute might have, in fact, wondered about me.

And despite the fact I could set my own schedule and do things like go for long walks or sleep in a little later, or even meet someone at 2:00 in the afternoon for coffee and sit for a few hours to chat and brainstorm, inside of me I was frantically pondering how much longer until I became a working citizen again. I liked one aspect of my “freedom” but the other part of me wanted health benefits and a salary that would help me not to worry about every penny I spent. I wanted to feel like I was contributing my skills and knowledge and being useful in society.

I do admit, while I am grateful now for a job where I work with amazing people and have so much possibility to learn and grow, I do still long for the life of those who can make their days their own. However, I’ve started to realize that no matter how great we think someone else has it, maybe we need to stop and realize our lives can be whatever we want and we don’t need to try to live anyone else’s.

Do you have aspects about your life that you think others might secretly be wishing they had in their lives? You never know who might be wanting to be you.