I asked my son, “What do you want for dessert?”

His reply: “What did he have?” (“He” being his brother.)

As soon as we’re old enough to recognize “mine” and “yours” we begin to compare what we have to what others have. This becomes a problem when we think about our own happiness based on this comparison.

Unsurprisingly, we pick and choose what we compare. I’ll have his portion of dessert, but not his portion of homework. Her bedtime, but not her chores. His freedom, but not his responsibility.

When it’s a seven-year-old choosing dessert, these comparisons are amusing. But we can easily catch ourselves playing this game. “Where did she go on vacation?” or “How much does he make?” or “What are they doing this weekend?”

But.

It’s useful to remind ourselves that we won’t always find other people’s desserts tasty.