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Old 09-23-2008, 08:06 AM   #9 (permalink)
genuinegirly
Eat your vegetables
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ItWasMe View Post
Shopping for men is like shopping for curtains. When I went shopping for curtains, I decided it was mandatory that they be long enough, two-tier, and have ruffles. I wanted pale yellow to let the sunlight in, and decided they must have small print, preferably floral. NO fruit print. I took my sweet time browsing. What did I buy? Gorgeous all-white curtains with sheer large ivy leaf print. They are one-tier. No flowers. No yellow. They don't even have ruffles. I could try to change them and add ruffles or another tier, but I decided they aren't that kind of curtain. They are long enough, though, and light enough to let sunlight in.

Did I settle? I don't think so. Because I love them the way they are, and because I don't feel short changed. I think that is the key to both curtains and men.

It's one thing to settle. Quite another for your priorities/tastes to change.
Quoted for truth. I love this analogy.

When I was 17, I made a list of everything I wanted in a man. This was something a women's sunday-school director asked me to do. I thought it was odd at the time, but went running with it. It was about 4 pages long. I had a boyfriend at the time. He didn't match that list exactly. It didn't bother me. As I went on to college and started looking around at the men in my classes, I realized quickly how insanely difficult it would be to find someone who met up with every single thing on that list. So I started paring it down to the things I felt were most important. This made the list seem even less realistic. At least with the old list, if a guy met up with a page of those "requirements" he seemed like a good catch. With the shortened list, each requirement seemed exceptionally important. Eventually I met a guy who matched up with 99% of that list. Unfortunately he called me a slut.

So I rethought things.

I accepted that I don't always know what's best for me.
I started moving with the flow of life.

Now, here I am. 25. Married to a wonderful man. Is he perfect in every possible way? Naw. Is he sweet and loveable and do I find his "imperfections" easy to work with? Yep. Are they really imperfections or merely evidence that I must adjust my thinking? I tend to think the latter.

I never thought that I would marry someone who enjoys watching college football. I never ever thought I'd marry a man who is Catholic. Do I love college football? Nope. Do I love the time to myself when he's at a game? Yes. Do I enjoy being Catholic? In many ways, yes. I like the fact that I can go to a mass, kneel in the back, and not interact with anyone other than God. I like the fact that every mass we attend together reminds me of our marriage. It is like celebrating our anniversary every week.

I enjoy the lifestyle I live today. I'm glad I threw out that list.
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