Sometimes you just have to accept what you can get. We all learned a lot about this at the start of the pandemic…back when whatever brand of toilet paper you could find was good enough. Then with paper towels. Then with disinfecting wipes. These are all things where having something is much better than having nothing, even if it’s not the exact thing you wanted.
This past week the availability of Covid vaccines opened up to an expanded group 1A in Pennsylvania. This means that my parents (who are in their late 80’s) are now eligible for the vaccine. But getting scheduled for a vaccine appointment is quite the challenge…especially in the part of rural Pennsylvania where they live. Because technology isn’t their strongest skill, they reached out to me for help with the process. And I very quickly learned that getting them scheduled near their home was going to be a challenge. Even using my best Ticketmaster concert ticket purchasing skills, I struck out on day one. On the second day of my efforts I expanded the radius and was able to secure them appointments about 60 miles from their house in mid-February. Is it ideal? No. But it is something. And something is better than nothing.
There will be a lot of times in your life when this kind of choice will come into play. It could be something little, like having to buy a different brand of soup than you really wanted. It could be something huge, like finding the perfect home to buy…with the exception of the fact that it is the same color as Pepto Bismol. These are situations where you take something less than perfect because you need something…and something is better than nothing. Pretty much any financial decision you make in your life will leave you wondering if the choice you are making is right. Because perfection almost never happens. So you have to focus on the option that meets your needs, even if it isn’t perfect. Because sometimes you just have to accept what you can get.