Comparing

Article by Olga Valyaeva and Dutch Roulette. Translated by me.

OLGA VALYAEVA
All our life consists of comparing. Since our very birth. Our moms were walking on the yard and were having conversations with other moms: who had more teeth, who got more salary, who walked, crawled, spoke...

Since our very birth we're compared with others. Then in school - who studied better, who danced as well, who was more beautiful.
Then institute - who entered to Polytechnical, who entered Institute of international relations, who went to technical secondary school. Who didn't study at all and went to work as a salesman at once.
And when some years after graduating your ex-classmate finds you in a social network, he won't ask you about weather or what your soul aspires for. He will ask what you do, if you have got family and children. And if you have husband he will ask what he does, how much he earns, if you have your own flat etc.
Everyone of us learn how to compare. And how to select if what we have is good or we can have something better.
But in spite we don't like comparisons about us we adore comparing our dears. Our husband or wife, children, parents... and that's how every day we steal happiness from ourselves and those around us".

DUTCH ROULETTE
The hardest thing in love is, strictly speaking, its main component - acceptance. Full and absolute understanding of the fact who your beloved one, friend, child is, and recognition of his right of being the way he is and not the way we (society, parents, etc.) would want him to be. It's easy praising the one with whom you don't share flat, food and million of common habits, but somehow it's very difficult praising a dear one. It seems anyway he knows about your love, but it's not as evident as it seems.
For some reason exactly our dears get all our irritation after working day, tired "and Vasya has probably done his homework and got excellent mark", deterrent "so when will you be like all normal girls?"
Behind all those words there are love and fear which it provokes, fear for a dear. But I'm sure that words of encouragement and suppore, words of acceptance are able to do much more.
Don't be stingy on kind words for those around you. Hug them more frequently. Call them more often. And you'll see them blooming of this lavish and caring love.