There’s a meme floating around that hit me right in the frontal lobe. You know the one. “The grass is greener on the other side because it’s fake.” Boom. Truth bomb in font size 16.

Let’s talk about that seductive little patch of green across the metaphorical fence. That lush, vibrant lawn that makes your own life feel like a sad, patchy weed pit. We’ve all looked longingly at it. The job that looks more fulfilling. The relationship that looks more romantic. The house that looks like a Restoration Hardware catalog mated with a Pinterest board. But here’s the thing: a lot of that grass isn’t growing. It’s glued down. And honey, it doesn’t smell like spring. It smells like chemical dye and broken dreams.

By now, many of us know this lesson the hard way. We’ve crossed fences only to find ourselves knee-deep in turf burn and regret. Or we’ve watched others leap over, chasing a lifestyle upgrade, only to return with a haunted look and a half-eaten humble pie. They’ll tell you, whispering over lukewarm coffee, It wasn’t what I thought it would be. And you’ll nod, because of course it wasn’t.

Astro turf exists. Green dye exists. And let’s not forget those Instagram filters that make even gas station sandwiches look gourmet. People aren’t just touching up their lawns. They’re photoshopping their whole backyard into a damn rainforest.

That seemingly perfect couple who just bought a lake house and adopted a rescue golden retriever? She cries in the laundry room and he’s secretly applying to be a monk. That influencer who quit their job to travel full-time and now lives out of a van? They smell like wet wool and ramen. That coworker who jumped to another company and now humblebrags in Slack about their new six-figure title? They spend half their day rage-crying into their ergonomic keyboard.

But sure. The grass is greener. Until it rains. And then you realize it doesn’t even soak in. Just puddles on the surface, sliding right off like it has trust issues.

So what’s the takeaway? Besides the obvious don’t believe the hype? Maybe it’s this: water your own damn grass. Pull your weeds. Sit in the dirt sometimes. Because even if it’s not glossy or filtered or influencer-approved, it’s real. And real, my friend, has roots.

And roots? They don’t blow away when the wind changes.