Disclaimer: there is a point to this post, I swear.

Earlier today at work I was looking for my pomegranate flavored Burt’s Bees chapstick. I thought it was in my purse but after looking, I couldn’t seem to find it. I moved on to look in my bag with my work materials in it. Nope. It wasn’t there, either. My pockets were empty so I knew I must have left it somewhere back at my apartment. It was only one o’clock in the afternoon and I knew I’d survive without it, but I didn’t want to wait until I got home after 7 p.m. to finally use my Burt’s Bees.

Frustrated, I sat down and went back to work. Not even two minutes later I looked down at my keyboard and realized I had a stick of Softlips chapstick sitting right there, literally less than two inches from my fingertips. I laughed out loud. I spent almost five minutes searching for my specific pomegranate Burt’s Bees that I was completely oblivious to the fact that I had a perfectly good alternative right in front of me.

So often in life we search for things that we think we need or think we want. We are hell-bent on the fact that these images we have created in our heads — of people, jobs, friends, whatever it may be — is what’s best for us, that it is the only option for our ideal happiness.

I am a big fan of working hard for what I want and an even bigger fan of never settling for less than I deserve and desire. But sometimes it’s necessary to be humbled by the stable and predictable parts of our day that rarely waiver. It can be okay to accept your second choice sometimes.

Maybe what you find isn’t exactly what you were looking for, but sometimes it turns out to be just what you need.