isn't she lovely?

Image: markuso

a few years ago i read a book by liz tuccillo titled, how to be single. in it, the author laments about the over-asked question, "why are you single?" she goes on to explain that being single should be embraced. she posits that the question should really be: how are you single? then she goes on to share experiences about singlehood.

as a single american woman, i couldn't agree and empathize with liz more.

not everyone lives the traditional life, college - marriage - white picket fence - 2.5 perfect, soccer-playing children. some of us start later in life. some never get married, never have children. some people try to fit society's mold and learn it doesn't work for them.

this doesn't mean we are bad, weird or ... and friends of mine, please read this carefully ... need pity. just because a person is not coupled up with someone does not mean his or her life is sad or incomplete.

on the contrary what makes me whole is my relationship with God and the people in my life who love me unconditionally. i like being me. i like my life. i enjoy being single. i like coming home and just having popcorn for dinner. or watching a marathon of america's top model. for me, being single isn't something to bemoan. it's something to celebrate. because for everything there is a season.

now is being single all roses all the time? no. do i get lonely sometimes? yes. but i bet my coupled up friends could answer the same ... if they're honest. so, please please stop with the puppy dog eyes and the brooding for poor, single melyssa.

like everything else in my life, i'm embracing it and living my life to the fullest. this may not be the life i planned, but it was the one i was given by the God i serve. and i am most thankful.