On Figuring out Where to Look for Stuff

Old and Chipped.



A Brand New Mug


I am a maladroit shopper. I don’t experience the thrill of the hunt; cunning store displays don’t woo me. So I wasn’t surprised when I had trouble finding a suitable replacement for my big blue-and-white sailboat coffee mug, the one I use at work.

I looked and looked, but I couldn’t find a mug to suit my specifications:

Big.
Not too tall (no latte mugs near the computer for this clumsy woman!).
Microwave-safe.

After browsing the mug selection in several stores, I grew frustrated. It seemed that we’d found our home with less effort.

Could it really be this hard to find a new coffee mug


One morning I watched as Rich refilled his favorite mug, the brown one his son Ryan gave him.

It’s big.
It’s not too tall.
It’s microwave safe.

It’s from Starbucks.

In one of those “A-ha! Water is wet!” moments, it occurred to me that a coffee house might be good place to shop for a new coffee mug.

The next day I rolled into Starbucks, brimming with confidence. Within a few minutes I’d made my choice, paid the price, and was practically skipping out the door, delighted to have crossed the coffee-mug-replacement task off my mental to-do list.

New Mug, with Vespa.

How many times in my life have I made my choice and then paid the price? The outcome isn’t always as satisfactory as my mug hunt proved to be.

Sometimes I don’t like my selection, once I’ve lived with it for a while.
Sometimes my choice hurts other people.
Sometimes the price is higher than I had dreamed.


And so this morning, I’m wondering how to apply the mug-shopping lesson to other choices before me.
I’m looking for life-analogies to this:

When you need a new mug, shop at the coffee house. 


How about you? Do you have an analogy to share?

10 “They will not hunger or thirst,
Nor will the scorching heat or sun strike them down;
For He who has compassion on them will lead them
And will guide them to springs of water.
Isaiah 49:10 (NASB)