Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Mr. That'll Do

Every year I always give myself a goal of reading X amount of books.  I try, oh how I try, to read at least a minimum of 3 'business or finance' related books, to quench my desire to be smarter tomorrow than I am today. Sometimes even making it to 3 is tough, but I typically make it with some leniency on my criteria.  And in this annual quest, it is a prerequisite to include a few 'light and fluffy's' to that list, so that:

a) my brain doesn't implode
b) I make it to my goal faster
c) I don't get too smart

With that said, my recent interjection of a 'light & fluffy' was a book called, Mr. Maybe.  Enough said, right?  Look at you, already judging me. Anywhosie, I made it through this book in about 2 weeks (pretty fast for me) and although I tried to take it in stride there was one line in it that hit home. Hard.

By the title you've probably already guessed the plot and the climax - cute, successful, twenty-something female works in PR in the UK.  She starts dating a guy that is adorable, they have tons of chemistry, he's funny, charming but his friends are losers, he has no job and lives in a shithole. He leaves her because he thinks he's not good enough for her. Then she meets a guy that is "perfect on paper" - older/more mature, great job, house, car, rich, super nice - but there is ZERO chemistry (christ, it's like my fucking autobiography).  As she's about to marry this guy that she doesn't really love, her best friend sits her down and says, "Libby, don't do this - you're young, you're 27 and you have lots of time to find that perfect guy.  I'd understand if you were 37 and making this decision." 

Um, PARDON?

Ya, I get it...it's just a "light & fluffy", but when I read this line it felt like someone sucker punched me in the face.  And of course it left me wondering when it ever became OK to compromise at any age.

Time to increase the 'business and finance' quotient in my book report.

3 comments:

  1. never.compromise.ever.

    this makes me sick. seriously, i'd rather be alone and excited about the prospect of meeting mr. right, then be attached and hating everything about mr. wrong.

    boourns, 'mr. maybe'.

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  2. Cheryl, you never (to my knowledge) compromise your principles or beliefs so that being said I have no worries that you will settle for anything less than your own Mr Right. The trick is, I think, recognizing that person. Often what we are looking for is right under our noses but we don't recognize it. Good luck, never settle for anything less that what you deserve.

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  3. Never settle. I think every woman in her 30s has contemplated that and maybe even tried it and had it go badly for both parties. It's not worth it.

    It's easy at 25 to say those types of things, you have no frame of reference, no idea how hard love is, how it can be like looking for a needle in a haystack and how 8 years of your life can go by with the wrong person in a blink. That type of perspective only comes when you've lived it.

    And clearly, the author doesn't have any idea what it's really like to be in that position:

    http://www.randomhouse.com/features/janegreen/pressroom.html

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