Dating and Dumdums

Trust me... the title is not what you think. While it does in many ways have application to real life, that is not the reason I chose to title this post "Dating and Dumdums."

At work, both at the fitting room, and at the registers, we have large containers of candy that we can give out to little kids (or adults). We do this as an attempt to convince people that our store is fun so that our customer service survey scores will go up. We also play Disney movies and provide a place for kids to play and color...

In working in the fitting room the last several days, I've had a lot of opportunity to hand out candy to little kids. The pick this week is dumdums, and I've been able to notice that there is a great deal of variation in how kids chose their dumdums. Some reach in hardly glancing at the flavors. Cherry, strawberry, cotton candy... does it matter? Some want to try a little of everything. These kids want one of every flavor. One is not enough and they often try to take two or three of the best looking at the same time, and end up very disappointed at learning that in the end they must leave with one. Others will go through and look at the flavors... wavering back and forth between one or two or three before finally resting on a decision of the most worthwhile. For these there are many that could be good, but it is all about determining which is best. And finally there are the kids who know ahead of time exactly what they are looking for. These kids have a specific flavor in mind (blue raspberry for example) and will comb the whole container over in search of that one dumdum that is going to make them happy. If such a dumdum can be found.

I have begun to think that the choosing of one's dumdums is in many respects similar to dating. Maybe it's just because I'm at BYU and dating is stressed and thought about a lot. Maybe it's because so many people I know are getting married. Maybe it's because subconsciously I want to find someone to date (HA!), or maybe it's simply because it has been a slow week at work which leaves the person in the fitting room a lot of time to think. Regardless, I think there are some valid similarities.

First, there are those who choose haphazardly.... "I'll date any guy/girl that comes along merely to have someone to date." They are all different, and some may not be quite as desirable as others, but in essence they are all made up of the same ingredients. All dumdums are made of sugar.

Next, there are those who want it all. They want the cherries and the strawberries and the butterscotches. These don't want to be told what to do or restricted. In a manner of speaking... these are the players of the world. They like it all, and want it all.

Third, are those who look at what they have and try to make the most of it. These people see that there are a lot of good options but don't need all of them. They have restraint. These are able to come to decisions and be satisfied with whatever they choose. They are realistic and intelligent at the same time. Setting the proper goals, but at the same time, not setting their standards to an unattainable level.

Finally, those who seek for that one dumdum...that one flavor that may or may not exist in a particular batch of suckers... they are the fantasists. They believe in soul mates, and may spend all their time looking for that lone dumdum whilst all the time oblivious to the things that the other flavors have to offer. They may perhaps even know that they like strawberry, but because they have their mind set on grape, they refuse to even consider strawberry as a worthwhile possibility. Too bad for them when grape isn't to be found, and they walk away empty handed.

This comparison is by no means a perfect comparision. Not everything matches up perfectly, but it was fun to think about. I am also not intending to say that the way a person choosees their dumdums in anyway says anything about how they conduct their dating life. I definitely do not believe that this is the case. I am sure that this application could be applied to many other aspects of life, but being a young adult... dating seemed the most worthwhile application.