Match

This week I rejoiced. I got a job. In this economic recession, in a market saturated by over-qualified eager-beaver teachers, I won the jackpot. The faculty is great, the school is great, and most importantly, both parties--the department and myself--agree that this will be a good match. This same week, two other equally comparable schools rejected me in the first round, a disappointment easily eclipsed by my job offer, but an innocuous disappointment nevertheless. What is it that causes a match?
Extending this to other circles, I see it with forming friends- sometimes you click, and sometimes you buzz off and keep looking. Dating, too, gives the opportunity to look at what you want, look at what the other person offers, and reconcile the two to form a match or to keep looking. What gets people to a second interview? A second date? What subconscious disqualifiers nullify the potential to match? Do we all have a uniquely different list of expectations? I remember the thrill in our family when Katie matched for Derm, and I learned for the first time that matches are fabulous! May we treasure the matches we have, and strive to keep seeking more when we miss a match.