Finding the one.
Do we put the same effort into thrifting as we put into dating? It’s the 21st century and the modern dating world has come to online scrolling trying to find the “one”. Oddly enough, I don’t get the same adrenaline rush sifting through dating profiles as I do going through racks of clothing. Well, that might be because we don’t have to please clothes & accessories with our craziest fun fact or how many kids we want. “The two aren’t the same”, is what you may be thinking. So, let me tell you the similarities: I spend countless hours a week thrifting, trying to find The One. At the end of the shopping trip, I usually have to accept that most pieces are not that. Swiping left and right on Tinder holds some similarity. You may find yourself flipping through profile after profile, hoping you stumble upon the green “it’s a match!” screen. Whether it’s dating profiles or thrifting clothes, it takes a real amount of effort to find The One.
Maybe, you're not into the whole online dating world. Fair enough. So, let's think about it another way. Listen, I’m speaking from personal opinion, so take everything with a grain of salt. Picture this, you're in your 20s, you’re single, it's a Friday night out, and you're ready to have a fun night with your friends. In the back of your mind you think, “who will I stumble upon and meet?”. I tend to think the same thing when I go into a thrift store. The thought of “What new piece will I come across?”. While of course, setting a low expectation so I’m not disappointed if I don't find The One. Is it still a fun experience like spending time with my girls? Absolutely!
One more thing, before I let you go. That post-thrift exhaustion... I could have a great day searching the Goodwill Bins or combing through racks at my local thrift store and I still need at least ten minutes of silence afterwards. I find myself feeling the same way about first dates. Putting time and effort into planning dates, getting to know someone, and figuring out what to wear. I’ll be honest with you, it can get exhausting. But, I didn't give up on finding The One, just like I didn’t give up shopping at the thrift store. I once had a therapist compare men to purses. She said to me “You can have multiple purses in your closet but always have that go-to purse. Just like guys!” It got me thinking, I can test out more than one purse just like I can get to know more than one guy. It might not always work out with a guy and a purse might not always look fabulous but that’s why the thrill of it continues.
We spend years searching for The One, maybe the greatest love story isn't waiting at the end of a dating app and maybe the perfect piece isn’t hanging in your closet yet. Give it time and give it patience, trust me the perfect piece and perfect guy are out there. That perfect piece just might be hanging up at ChosenByClare.
—Clare Andrykovitch