I heard this short clip on BBC Radio 2 in 2010.
I was in my kitchen and it made me stop what I was doing and listen. I was mesmerised by these words!
I jumped straight on the internet after and found it, recording it as a voice memo on my phone.
Listen to it by clicking the ‘play’ button below.
This made a massive impact on my life back then I was always looking for bigger, better and more expensive things – whether it be jobs, relationships, clothes, technology and circumstances..
I’d make excuses not to do things because the situation wasn’t right; the weather wasn’t warm enough, I
I frequently refer back to this to keep me grounded and grateful for what I have, rather than wishing for more.
I’m not sure who’s talking, I think her name is Sarah. If you know who it is, please send me the name so I can write it in here.
Here is the transcript:
“I say, [you know], the grass is important and where is the grass greenest?
“Now, my husband and I, we’ve often talked about moving out of the city and into the country.
You see, we tell ourselves, that if we lived in the country we would have a healthy life, full of long walks, horse riding and the like.”
“Now, over the bank holidays, we went to see some friends who lived by the Pennines. And they can see rolling hills from their kitchen window. And I asked them if they are regular walkers. They laughed and said they went out walking once a year. And the children enjoyed the view when they looked up from their computers, they joked.”
“Of course, when they visit London they see all the sights and the tourist attractions, far more than I’ve seen, and I’ve lived here all my life.”
“Now it’s easy to ignore the good stuff on our doorsteps. It’s easy to think that our own life is not as it should be.
It’s easy to convince ourselves that if things were different, we’d be different.”
“So, for us, we say if we lived in the country, we’d be happy, healthy ramblers.”
“Maybe, my friend would think if they lived in London, they’d be cultured attendees of the opera and exhibitions. Someone else’s lifestyle, relationship or family or job can seem so much better than our own. The grass always seems greener on the other side.”
“But the truth is, the grass is greenest where it’s watered. It’s about doing and appreciating and nurturing what we have, rather than looking over the fence and yearning for someone else’s life.”
“And when we start watering our own little plot, nurturing it, turning the soil and digging out the weeds, I think we’d be amazed at what starts to grow. The lushness of our grass and the beauty of the garden of our own life.”