There is a group of chicken keepers in my small town. Some of them have been at it for a couple of years, while others are veterans of a decade or more. The other day a relative newbie asked if her chickens were done laying, since there have been almost no eggs lately. Several long timers chimed in with a reassurance that the dip is common in late winter, and that production will pick up in the spring. The person asking seemed grateful for the reassurance. 

I too have posed my share of questions. Probably more than my share. 

"Do you have lights in the coop?"

"How do you keep their water fresh?"

"True confession. Do you ever let them inside the house?"

Often hearing that a problem is familiar is enough to keep me slogging. But there are days when hearing about another person's bounty stirs up discontent. 

"Come on, ladies. The araucanas across town are laying like nobody's business. Step it up."

My twins are destined for a life of comparison. Their height, their grades, their hobbies are all held in the balance of twinness. For some siblings, the coupling feels like a race. For my girls, it has been a source of great joy.

Comparisons in marriage can be a Godsend. 

"Oh, your husband retreats in the evening when you want to connect? Hmm. Maybe he isn't doing it to hurt my feelings."

Or they can be an anvil to an already sinking self esteem.

"He took you to your favorite restaurant? Made the reservations? GOT A BABYSITTER???"

I suppose comparisons are in themselves neither positive nor negative. It depends on what we do with them.