Somehow I've grown to where I view their relationship and love as an inspiration.
Isn't this the kind of "reference group" you want, one that inspires you, not one that makes you feel good by being less than you? I see it as similar to a dictator who surrounds themselves with Yes Men, they hear what they want, not what they need.
Getting some more experience under the belt definitely helps - if only we could step back in time a couple decades with what we know now :)
100%. It's also such a better way to go about living life, cultivating a mindset more driven by gratitude and inspiration than one so focused on jealousy and climbing some abstract/comparative ladder that doesn't really matter in the end.
I think about this all of the time! There are so many people I wish I could go back and treat with so much more kindness. Then again, I often think that if it wasn't for my mistakes, I might not have ever learned to aim higher and to try and pass on my lessons to my kids. I'm just grateful they (mostly) stuck as early as they did.