There's something about settling that just doesn't sit right. I'm always disappointed when I go to a restaurant, get all excited about something I'm about to eat, only to hear it's not available that night. Sure, I can find a second choice. And sure, it'll be tasty and fine. But I'll have that little nugget of regret in me, thinking that all this build up turned into a let down. WAS it a let down? No...but the settling part makes it feel that way.
When Adam and I were house shopping, we knew we were looking for our "forever home". We decided that we didn't want to be in a position where we'd outgrow our house. If we chose to move, either for relocation or different wants, it would be a choice, not a "shoot, we no longer have enough bedrooms for kids" move. I know that we were fortunate to be in that position at all, but MAN did it make house hunting difficult.
Both Adam and I had non-negotiable features that we didn't want to settle on, because this was our forever home! We didn't want to end up in a town that we didn't love, because this was our forever home! We wanted a good neighborhood, because this was our forever home!
So while friends of ours started and finished their house hunts and ours dragged on, we started getting really frustrated. We were in a tiny apartment, lined with boxes, and we just wanted to get in a house. We knew we were GOING to get a house, we just had to wait for the right one. So months passed and we stayed frustrated and tried to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
And SIX MONTHS after starting the hunt, we finally made it into our forever home. I won't lie and act like it's perfect - I don't know that any house is - but we didn't settle.
That's what I'm reminding myself of now. Adam and I ordered the new car back in early July. My current car was struggling - badly - back then. We knew that we did NOT want to put any additional work into it. However, we also knew that this was going to be a significant dollar purchase AND a long term purchase, we wanted to make sure we got just what I wanted.
In other words, we weren't willing to settle. We wanted to get what we wanted.
It was hard. We sat there on July 5 and were told we could drive home one of the cars that was at the dealership home THAT DAY. They had two that were sort of what we wanted. I mean, the features were a little different. And the colors weren't what I loved. And it was more expensive, yet not what I wanted. But it was still so tempting because it was THERE.
But we didn't settle. And now it's been two full months and I can't start the school year off carpooling like I'd hoped I could. I worry about the check engine light and the engine that sounds so tired and the creeping odometer and the leaking.
But when it's done, it'll be just how I want it.
