It seems that these ideas always occur to me when I'm collecting and sorting my laundry from the dryer.
On occasion, I come across one sock that has properly gone through the dryer cycle (IE warm and appropriately dehydrated), and when I happen to find its shidduch shortly thereafter, it still has some moisture left (usually in the toe/sole area).
This would seem to parallel the sometimes occurrence of the suggested couple who are very well made for one another, and all indicators point to a happy, long life together - with the small exception that one of them just isn't quite ready yet.
The damp sock is hung out to dry, or thrown back in for another cycle, and not too long thereafter they're ready to be rolled up and placed in the sock drawer.
So too, once things line up just right, and the obstacle/hindrance is removed or resolved (whatever it was), the couple can finally get a move onto the start of their matrimonial journey together.
I've seen this happen to a relative of mine, and heard stories from others as well. So cheer up, it might just not be the right time just yet for that certain someone you've been keeping an eye on. Take the chance to work on your middah of patience, and hopefully it will all work out for the best.
(Here I am commenting on old posts again, but catching up on your blog is my bedtime reading)
ReplyDeleteI love the sock/shidduch metaphors, but happen to particularly enjoy this one. First of all, it's entirely true - I've seen it in action recently with an engaged couple where the girl is almost four years older than the guy. As he joked, "I was in tenth grade when she started dating!" (Obviously, this is a humorous extreme, but you get my drift)
A friend of mine recently voiced a worry that she won't give the first guy she dates a fair chance, simply because she can never see herself marrying "the first guy." I happen to have that nagging thought occasionally, as well, so I was able to sympathize. But as I was trying to allay her fears, I brought in a few examples of couples who ended up happily married, only after they had gone out with each other, broken up (some multiple times!), gone out with other people, then gotten back together. They each needed time and other experiences to change a bit, and then become more compatible than they were before, just like your dry sock and slightly wet sock.
We can never know what plans Hashem has in store for us, and the notion that once you decide to break it off means that the other person will never re-enter your life becomes silly. For all we know, that first guy could be "the one," but just not yet. We don't know. And that ignorance, ironically, can be comforting.
Thanks for doing laundry so diligently - it tends to result in interesting and thought-provoking posts! Your mother must be shepping nachas!