One of the things that bothers me most about being single is that there is no one to look to for advice. There's no one to sympathize when you're feeling lonely, no one to encourage you, no one to tell you that there's nothing wrong with you when you start doubting yourself. There's no one to ask about whether you'll regret not having children when you're older, no one to ask about finances for the single woman. I have plenty of married friends, and I am sure they understand my situation. They just don't have the experience or practical advice I'm looking for.
I have always had a tendency to admire those older single women that I've met. Even when I was younger, it wasn't the moms that I wanted to hang out with. It was the ladies who had the courage, the endurance, the ability to be single. Looking back, it makes me wonder if being single is always what has been in the cards for me. That thought makes me smile--that being single has always been something I admired. It makes being single now a little more solid, a little easier to deal with.
It's almost like dating trying to find other single women! Where do you find them? I'm sure they don't advertise the fact that they're single. It's still a social stigma to be a single adult woman over the age of 30 in my experience. The term Old Maid springs to mind, even though it isn't used very often any more. The implication is that there's something wrong with us, that we're someone to be pitied.
If someone knows, please tell me where the other single ladies are. Where are you hiding, ladies? Drop me a line so we can talk! I want to bend your ear, get some advice, ask how to cope with different things. Let's build a community of like-minded ladies.
Spiritwalker Trilogy by Kate Elliott
11 years ago
Hey Beatrice, This is a great post. I completely understand. I was single then married and now single again. My marriage didn't give me children and that is my biggest regret and my greatest blessing. Regret because I truly wanted to be a mother. A blessing because I would have been raising teenagers alone and they would be grown by now. I'm 55 for whatever that is worth. I love being single except for being alone at time but other times I'd rather be alone than wish I were alone. We met at Blogher and I'm visiting all your sites. Glad to know you.
ReplyDeleteBeatrice - I just found your blog today through Just One Single. I started a blog for single Christians a few months ago and did a post last month about how I feel about not having children. Here's the link - http://singleandsane.blogspot.com/2009/07/when-do-you-hand-your-desires-over-to.html
ReplyDelete