Love looks through a telescope; envy, through a microscope.

Affection enlarges. It takes in the whole of a person and forgives the small flaws as part of the scale. Envy does the opposite: it narrows onto one detail, magnifies it past any true size, and lets that detail stand for everything. The same life can look generous or unbearable depending only on the instrument you pick up.

When someone else’s good news sits badly with you, notice how small the thing you are staring at has become. Widen the frame on purpose. Ask what their whole year has held, and whether you would trade all of it, not just the one part you want.