We're not settlers

There are some things in life for which there are absolutely no substitutes.

(e.g. Wheat Thins.)

I was at the grocery store recently, and a lot of shelves were being restocked at the time. As my luck would have it, of course, this impacted my favorite snack ever invented: Wheat Thins. There weren't any on the shelf, which is quite obviously a dreadful situation in which to find yourself. An employee walking by asked, "Ma'am, is there something I can help you with?" I told him I needed Wheat Thins, and he told me they would be out soon, but if I didn't want to wait then the ones in the blue box were just as good, and he handed me some off-brand box with the words "THIN WHEATS" printed across the front.

Umm, no.

I declined and told him I would wait. You see, with most things I am perfectly fine purchasing the generic brands, but I have two uncompromising exceptions: Wheat Thins and Jif peanut butter. I feel no need to explain this.

If I had purchased those other crackers, I know it would have been a decision I would regret later. I would open the unfamiliar box and taste some bland product that could in no way live up to the perfection that is a Wheat Thin. I'm not sorry about this, but nothing even comes close. I would rather wait on the stock boy taking his time to get to the cracker aisle or drive to a completely different store so that I could have my Wheat Thins. They are worth it.

Plus, I'm not big on settling.

Perfection

I've mentioned before that I've never dated, which a lot of people think is strange seeing as how I'm now 30. (I still feel weird saying that age.) I often have people suggest that I "try the online thing," or every once in a while someone knows the "perfect" match for me, but he's likely only perfect for me because he's single, too. I hear people tell me to date around to have fun and maybe meet a nice guy. But, to me, that's like buying the crackers I didn't want. Sometimes you know that things just aren't right for you, and you don't want to settle. Everyone is different, and we are all going to like different things and take different paths. I'm perfectly fine with waiting for Prince Charming to come along, and I'm perfectly fine if he never comes, and I'm single forever. But I'm not going to go through a bunch of thin wheat boxes trying to find him. I'll wait for the real deal.

I'm not saying I won't give people chances, nor am I suggesting that for others. I'm all about taking risks, but I do believe sometimes you just know—you have this intrinsic feeling—that someone isn't right for you. And you don't necessarily have to go on a date to figure that out. I realize many people don't agree with this, but that's fine. We don't have to agree, because we aren't the same people, and we aren't living the same lives. But, if you know someone is or isn't right for you, then I think you should go with your gut.

If there's something in life that you don't want to compromise on, then don't. When you know something else is worth the wait, then wait. It's worth it—you're worth it. Sometimes it seems like God takes longer than the stock boy, but just practice a little patient endurance.

Because when you get that precious golden box, you'll be glad you didn't settle.