Comparison - thief of joy?

Theodore Roosevelt said, Comparison is the Thief of Joy.  I know what he meant when he said that.  It's so easy to look at other people's seemingly awesome lives, and suddenly be unhappy with our own awesome life.   It's especially hard with the carefully curated images on social media that seem to scream, "Hey look at all the fun I'm having that you're not."  So, obviously it's a total buzz kill to compare yourself against others in order to judge how much/how well/how happy/how whatever they are relative to you.  But is all comparison is a bad thing?

There is a wonderful National Geographic photographer, Joel Sartore, working on a mission called The Photo Ark.  His goal is to photograph every living species in the animal kingdom to bring awareness to the incredible bio-diversity on our planet.  He travels around the world and takes breathtaking images of creatures great and small.  Giant primates and teensy bugs. Furry felines and scaly reptiles.  Brilliant birds in every color of the rainbow.    

Each image is a tiny jewel, and together they are absolutely stunning.  As you look at the collection of images, it is impossible not to compare these spectacular animals with one another.  Not a comparison of their relative merits, but rather a comparison of how different, and how beautiful, how utterly marvelous is each in its own way.

I get that same feeling seeing your projects in the shop.  The biodiversity of knitting is overwhelming - socks on size zero needles and blankets on size 13s.   Soft cream alpaca and brilliant hand-dyed merino.  Beginning knitters on their first scarf and accomplished knitters on yet another sweater.  Each is beautiful, and I can't help but marvel at all of the wonderful ways there are to create beauty and art.  From this perspective, I think that comparison is not the thief of joy, but the recognition that we are all different, and we are all awesome.  We are part of the sisterhood who creates beautiful things with fibers. 

I look forward to seeing you in the shop and around the table.  You are always welcome here.  ~Ellen