This morning on my way to the office I stopped for gas at my usual spot, an Esso station, approximately one mile from where I work. There’s another Esso on my way to work, and it’s an even shorter distance from my house, but I prefer the near-work Esso, mainly because it has a retro feel to it (you can’t pay at the pumps yet, so you’re forced to interact with other humans) and I find the staff’s attitude genuinely personable. (Plus: air, for my constantly leaking tires, is still free. Bonus!)
Sometimes when I fill up there… okay, EVERY time I fill up there, I get a craving for a Snickers bar, and I’ll conveniently add it to my bill. (Shh. Don’t tell my wife.)
Today as I went inside to pay for my fuel, I realized it was going to be a Snickers AND a Dr. Pepper kind of day. (You just know these things.)
I scanned the soda case, and… no Dr. Pepper. (Insert sad face here.)
On to the cash register, where directly in front of it resides the candy bar section, and… no Snickers. (Insert sad tummy sounds here.)
Rats.
I lamented, “No Dr. Pepper. No Snickers. How am I going to survive?” The lady behind the cash register (always super friendly) said, “You’re 0 for 2 today. There’s nothing worse than when you have a craving for something and you can’t get what you want.”
True dat.
She continued, “Some people try to substitute their craving with something else, but it never works.”
Wow. Ain’t that the truth.
This morning before leaving the house, among other things I prayed to God for wisdom. And there it was, arriving straight from the gas station, before I even got to work. I knew I’d need that way more than a Snickers bar. And obviously, someone else did too.
So… what are you craving? No… come on. I’m not talking about that trivial everyday stuff. I mean what are you really craving? I’m talking about the stuff that really satisfies. Do you know where to find it? Will you know when you do find it?
I hope so.
I am no superman
I have no answers for you
I am no hero, ah, that’s for sure
But I do know one thing
Where you are is where I belong
I do know, where you go… is where I want to be.
-Dave Matthews Band, Where Are You Going