Congratulations Just Kidding I'm Jealous
A can of low-sodium black beans helped me untangle my feelings.
The trigger.
A guy I kinda know sold a work of art for a lot of money.
He was all over newspapers and magazines and, the worst, my Instagram feed.
I felt deep, primal jealousy.
I’ve felt it before. With friends, colleagues, and even my husband.
The spiral.
When I saw my friend’s success, my inner toddler was screaming, “I want that!”
I felt shame for feeling jealous. I felt anger for feeling shame for feeling jealous. I felt sad for feeling anger for feeling shame for feeling jealous.
Then, my sometimes secret weapon: I got curious.
Human and Ancient
Maybe it’s human and ancient to feel jealous. Maybe it used to help us monitor our standing in the tribe.
And our modern tribe—society—seems to value money and recognition.
Then I bought a can of low-sodium black beans at Ralph’s and had an epiphany.
