I can wait.

In college, I had a gorgeous and really unique pair of brown wedge sandals that I loved. I left them at home as I traipsed around London for graduate school, and one day my parents forgot to close the door to my bedroom and our new puppy Jazzy ravaged my shoe collection, chewing my beloved brown sandals to pieces. I was inconsolable. I searched for a replacement pair for years - four, to be exact! - but none were quite as special as those. Finally, I found a pair on Payless' website and, after having to wait (for what seemed an eternity but was really about two weeks) for them to be available in size 5, I was able to snag them at a great deal. Totally worth the wait.

That's not even my best shoe story, though. Just this year, I discovered the pure shoe euphoria that is Nine West. Oh, my goodness. I found a pair of dark teal suede boots at their after-Christmas sale the likes of which I had only ever seen dancing through my imagination in those sweet moments before sleep. Best of all, I got them at 70% off - they were some of the least expensive boots I've ever bought! I was in boot nirvana - I never knew the boots that I was really waiting for until I found those. All other boots paled in comparison. I wore them to church today and I actively had to stop myself from staring at them in glee because of how marvelous they are.*

And so this afternoon, I decided to give myself a bear-hug to the soul with some therapy (ahem, mostly window) shopping, and excitedly made a beeline for Nine West again when I saw they were having a 40% off sale. I found a pair of lovely pink sandals the likes of which I've also been searching for for quite some time, but...but. But no. They were on sale, but see, the previous sale I'd experienced spoiled me. I know they'll go down more in price. I wasn't going to pay more for them than I paid for my beautiful boots. I looked at the sandals forlornly, even picked them up and petted them a little, but I knew they weren't coming home with me. Not yet. Not quite. If I give it just a few more weeks, maybe a few more months, they'll go on clearance like the boots. I know I'm risking them not being in my size, but it's a risk I'll take. If I'm meant to have them, I'll come back and they'll be further discounted and it'll be the right time and they'll be mine. And if they're gone, I wasn't meant to have them anyway, and God will give me better pink sandals that I can't even imagine yet.

I can wait. It'll be worth it.

I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD. -Psalm 27:13-14

*My shoe love may be slightly exaggerated throughout this post, so please read with tongue firmly planted in cheek. But, uh, I have to say, those boots are pretty darn amazing.