It’s part of our human nature… but no one likes to admit it

So I'm binge watching this show on Netflix. It's called Maid. Have you seen it? It's been trending in Netflix's Top 10 for a while now. It's about a young mother named Alex, who courageously flees an abusive relationship with the father of her young daughter. The short series follows her journey to building a better life for herself and her daughter, Maddy, despite the many odds stacked against her. It's an incredible display of motherhood and resilience. I love these kinds of movies and shows, the ones that make you think long after they're over and question what you believe to be true.

I promise not to give any big spoilers away if you haven't seen it already, but there's one episode that I thought was a beautiful reminder for this week (happy early Thanksgiving!).

The episode takes place on Thanksgiving day. Alex has left Maddy with Maddy's dad and she's on her way to clean a home (she became a maid for income). The home is actually more like a mansion, with a beautiful waterfront view. It screams wealth in every detail. The owner barely acknowledges Alex when she arrives, and darts out the door for her holiday gathering with her 12 homemade pies, leaving Alex to clean up the mess.

Of course, as Alex is cleaning this woman's home she's imagining how perfect and easy her life must be. To her, it seems like if you're rich and have certain things, then you're all set. If only she could have this woman's life and the luxury and time to bake 12 pies for Thanksgiving just because she felt like it, then life would be perfect.

But then a series of events occurs, and this woman's life isn't what Alex assumed it was. She starts to piece together an uncomfortable truth: that money can make your life easier, it can provide you with freedom and protection and authority — but it can't give you happiness, or love, or exempt you from suffering.

Here’s another uncomfortable truth: as humans, we're meant to judge and make assumptions. If someone tells you that they never judge anyone or anything, they're not being 100% honest. Because we all do it instinctively in some way, we just don’t like to admit it. We all see x and assume y, just like Alex did. The difference is, you just might not be someone who believes or acts on your assumptions.

We judge and make assumptions because sometimes it keeps us safe. If someone breaks into your house in the middle of the night, we can assume it's not for a cup of tea. We see certain things, situations, or people, and our minds automatically start generating what we think something is. When the truth is, we might have no idea. But we don't like uncertainty, and we use our judgements and assumptions to either make ourselves feel comfortable, to fuel feeling good about ourselves, or to fuel feeling crappy about ourselves. Social media platforms, like Instagram and Facebook, have made this all too easy to do to ourselves everyday.

Alex made the assumption that just because this woman has heated floors and a $12,000 dining room table, that her life is perfect and problem-free. But what she came to learn, and something she said that stuck with me, is this: “Our space is a home, because we love each other in it."

If you’re in a place like Alex, where you feel envious because of things someone else has, just remember that sometimes we only see what others want us to see. More things doesn’t equal more happiness. And even if their life is “perfect,” who cares? It doesn’t mean anything about your life. A big part of living a minimalistic lifestyle is loving and appreciating what you have (and not letting jealousy and other negative thoughts crowd your mind), and that’s my wish for you this Thanksgiving.