Reading Other People's Lives

So I have pondered my own question from a few days ago. I actually asked the question because I was feeling a little down for the moment- late nights sometimes do that to me because of being tired. Having thought about it for a few days and read the comments from Jacqui and Colleen, I feel I have a more positive, constructive outlook.
Honestly there have been times that when I read other's blogs that I begin to feel insecure about my own life. I can't tell you the last time this happened BEFORE reading other people's blogs. My guess it would be back in college or when I was single. So my first inclination would be to STOP reading and just enjoy my life. Jacqui made a very valid point that

"sometimes they do make me feel like I need to start living, but mostly I just enjoy their sweet moments and am glad for my own. Sometimes they give me good ideas to fit into our lives though, like trips to places or ideas to organize things better."

to use her own words. Granted, I shouldn't spend a majority of my day looking in on other's lives or else I really won't have much going for me.
Evaluating what makes me feel negatively I come up with the following answers (I use "they" but most are "she"):
-They are so good at this or that.
-They seem to have the perfect relationship and seem so in love.
-Wow, they are getting that done and that has been on my list for months.
-I wish I could write in away that could grasp every aspect of my experiences like they do.
-I wish I had time for that.
-Oh, they make that look so much more fun than when I do that, or when I experienced that.
-I wish I would have done that when I was going through a similar experience.
Okay, I am now really reaching to add to the list, but I think this makes the point I am trying for. Most of those answers come by forgetting to look at my own life. So I take an outsiders look at my own life and I could say similar things about things I do experience, produce, and accomplish. Sometimes I surprise myself with what I am doing, how I feel in my relationships, or how I see myself progressing. Definitely the negative is there, but you can get away without dwelling on it and just keeping trying for that next step forward.
My best answer for how to keep it positive is to make a physical list of priorities. These are personal and really look deep into what you want for your life. Once you have the list, then you find the greatest happiness and feeling of accomplishment in life by living in accordance with those priorities. I would imagine many people's list could be simplified to a list similar to mine, but how it is defined in your own life is what makes the difference. When I am not living according to my priorities and I am allowing other fillers to take up the space where important things should be placed, that is when I feel insecure or down about my life. Of course I have times of weakness, which I seem to have been experiencing in the area of spirituality for some time now (I have been well aware of this). Now that I have realized this (that I have insecurities when reading about others) I can see that I need to put more priority on getting back to my priorities.
I really am grateful for so many things in my life. It isn't just the list I have created in hopes that I will continue to be grateful for them, or that I am wishing I were whole heartedly grateful for them. I have things that I think about on a continual basis that I thank Heavenly Father for blessing me with- and I sure could thank him more often for them. Just to name a few:
Jared Scott Crane. Of course I am grateful for my husband and the father of my child. But I really am! This man, with all the imperfect things I point out in him (a fault of my natural man tendencies that Jared doesn't seem to have), is so perfect for ME. I truly am blessed to have a husband that can humble himself and say sorry and want to kiss and make up when the other person (me) still wants to throw it in his face. He takes it. This is one of my weaknesses and could be an end to my relationship if I didn't have a husband like Jared. (Nothing happened recently, I am just well aware that we never have big arguments because he doesn't allow it to happen- he will give in before it ever becomes a problem). He is also VERY thoughtful when it comes to how we work things out together- he usually gives more on the side of making me happy than getting what he wants.
I was talking with a friend the other day and when she spoke of reasons she liked her significant other, the reasons all came back to what he did for her, or how he made her feel. As I analyzed this I thought, "There must be more reasons I like Jared than just for what he does for me." It is true, I like Jared because of the person he is. I love his concern for others and desire for their happiness (or eternal salvation, depending on how it is applied in the situation). He is so sweet with our elderly neighbor that just adores him and asks him to do the silliest of things, like reset her alarm clock when the power goes out. I love his ability to memorize things (this one does benefit me, but I admire it about him and for him). I love that he doesn't care about appearances, such as what he looks like physically, that he is sometimes mistaken for a girl on the phone because he has a higher voice, or that he doesn't know all the answers (even the answers that he should know). And he has just started this new thing that whenever he walks into the closet he has to do 5 pull ups (there is a pull up bar in our closet)- I love it. It is such a guy thing to do. The list goes on for him.
Corban is my next blessing I give thanks for often and really mean it. If he were anyone elses they would be doing the same thing. This little guy is the sweetest, happiest, most darling little boy. Of course a mother would say this about their son, and she should. Babies are such a blessing to a mother. It is the greatest feeling to come into Corban's view and have him get the biggest smile ever because he knows you are his mom. He is such a beautiful little person and I have a hard time fathoming he came from me. What a miracle our bodies are and the things we can do with them. He is growing up way too fast and I only hope to be able to repeat this miracle a couple more times so I have a few more chances of taking it all in.
One last one because it is getting late. It isn't necessarily at the top of the list, as people and relationships usually fill all those spots, but in a different area of life, I am SO grateful to live the life of a stay-at-home-mom. The definition, I am sure, has a different meaning to anyone who wants to define it. So for me this is what it is at this "glimpse" in time (I know it is going to change, but that is one of the beauties of it, right?):
-I have the freedom of waking up some mornings really early and other mornings really late- it is the fact that it isn't always the same that is great for me. And if I wanted, I could make it always early :)
-I get to think up things to do with my infant for play time (which is all the time)- should we sing and dance, just smile and laugh with each other, watch him bounce in his horse bouncer and get really excited, leave him to play on his own and come back and find him licking the kitchen floor (I should have been mopping the kitchen floor when I left him to be alone, but I am sure I was doing something way more productive), or listen to him cry until I realize he is more important than whatever I was doing.
-Feed him- I have already written reasons why I LOVE these times in the day.
-Getting to do house work. It is weird, but I do enjoy house work- dishes, laundry (washing more than folding), scrubbing floors, or showers, or counters, sweeping, windows (new found favorite), etc. Just because I love it doesn't mean it gets done, so the house isn't always clean- in fact, a majority of the time it isn't :)
-Doing work (GS work) anytime I want to- I can put it off 'til later, or do it now because it is convenient. Or not do it at all and use the excuse, "I didn't have time because I was playing with Corban. Find someone else to do it."
-Shopping! I love most any kind of shopping, so even a simple trip to the grocery store for the essentials fulfills my need to shop. Oh, and with this new position, the "essential" list just got longer and now it includes stores like Target, Babies R Us, and online stores.
-Budgeting- I like a challenge, especially when it has to do with self discipline. Sometimes I fail, but there is always next month.
-Take a nap if I want. This is usually only desirable when Corban makes it so. Sometimes when putting him down in the afternoon I just join him- it's easier than fighting it.
-Making dinner for my hubby. He probably wishes this happened more often, and frankly so do I. The truth of the matter is that I think of food a lot less than I use to, so sometimes I forget about dinner. Never thought I would say that, but it is true. I think it will eventually become part of my routine because I do enjoy cooking, but I am working my way up to that priority.
-Enjoy the city we live in. Corban and I take advantage of the beach and we try to visit other places I haven't gone to otherwise (i.e. Zoo, Play Groups, Musikgarten, walks around the lake).
-Scrapbook- there isn't really time for this most of the time. But if I found the time I would have a justification for why it fits within my priorities. Just recently I did get to do a project- dad's 60th Birthday gift, and there is an Activity Group for Relief Society this coming week that is a Scrapbook night- it's my calling :)
-Go to bed whenever I want. "Want" could be misleading, because I would rarely choose to go to bed early, but sometimes my body chooses for me. I would stay up late and get up early every single day if I had things my way and my body didn't want to rule.

Now, my words don't do any of this justice, as I could come up with more and more reasons, some being better descriptors than what I have chosen above, but we already have determined that I wish I could write better. Working on it! Nevertheless, the point is I do have a life that I am grateful to be living and I am blessed to be able to read the lives of others as an enrichment for my own. So I will keep on keeping up on other's lives, while also striving to keep within my priorities.