Tag Archives: SorryNotSorry

“Why Are You Still Single?”

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Recently, I read an article about a teacher who quit her job after no longer being able to withstand modern teaching methods.  She watched as her students struggled and became frustrated when they were all forced to learn the same methods, the same way, at the same time.  The students who weren’t able to grasp concepts the same way as others who picked them up quickly felt like there was something wrong with them.  They wanted to learn- it wasn’t for lack of effort- they just needed a different process.  And preferring to look like the “bad kid” instead of the “stupid kid”, they would act out.  Or, they would simply give up all together.

I couldn’t help but notice the similarities with dating these days.

In a culture where everything is instant, socially broadcast and easily replaced, its easy to figure out who’s in love…. and who’s single.  Its also equally easy to feel the pressure of your status more than ever- because apparently, it says A LOT about you.  Accurate or not.

And as someone happily residing in Singleville, I.  Am.  Over.  It.

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As I’ve mentioned before, in my group of friends, I’m “that girl“.  Notoriously single, and rather comfortable with it, I’m used to being questioned and prodded by my friends like a circus monkey.  I cant really blame them- my dating life is WAY more comical than anything you’ll find on Netflix.  And I don’t mind dishing.  Plus, it kinda helps me cope with the trauma from bad dates with clueless fuck boys.  Yes, wine and laughter really does cure ALL.

But as open as I am about my failed romances- and I use that term loosely- there is one question that I find not only unnecessary, but offensive:

Why are you still single?

Um, gee, well, it might be that chain letter I never forwarded back in 1998.  Or my inability to cook.  Or maybe, totally unbeknownst to me, I’m actually insane.  Plus, I kinda dig cats.  Oh, and I’m also vegetarian?

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Or maybe- how about this:  What business is it of yours?

To me, asking someone why they’re single is really just a polite way of asking what’s wrong with them.  Like my current status in life is so horrible and unimaginable, there must be SOME reasonable explanation.  This is when people usually reply with bullshit answers to avoid pity and make them look less grotesque and more human:  I work too much…  I’m just focusing on me right now…  I’m waiting for Adam Levine to become available again (please God!!)…  So, just to keep things fair, I usually just answer the question with another question:

How are you still not?

Pow.  And this is the exact moment where everyone can grab their popcorn and wait for the shit show to begin.  Because apparently asking someone for a reasonable explanation on how they’ve managed to find someone to put up with their flaws is frowned upon.

And that right there is what we call a double standard.

You get my point?  I’m not damaged goods.  I’m not unlovable.  And I’m certainly not crazy.  I’m not anything but me.  Like the frustrated kids in class, I’m simply operating on a different system.  And while my system may not be the same as yours, I’ll still get the right answer.

(And by the way- is it not complete irony that I was in all Honors classes??)

My point is, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH ME.  There’s no dark and twisty past.  No fear of commitment.  Except maybe to the wrong guy.  So what if I haven’t followed a pre-determined timeline of dating, by basic methods, where the final exam is marriage.  The SAT’s of love.  And let me just say- there are quite a few of you that have already failed that one miserably.

Maybe I’m fine taking all the prep courses I can for now.  So when the time comes to apply all that knowledge, I’ll knock it clear out of the park.

Maybe, while everyone else is cheating off each other’s papers, I’m simply concentrating on my own.  On my time.  My way.

And maybe… just maybe, I actually care so much about it, that I want to be the best one in the class.  The Valedictorian of my life.

And in all honesty, looking back, my time being single has never been time wasted.  I am someone who is constantly evolving.  Constantly learning.  Probably more so than others.  And there has been no greater teacher than my time with my own self.  And while I’m not saying there aren’t things to discover with the help of someone else, I am saying that you need to know yourself first.  Cause any relationship prior to that isn’t a relationship at all- its a distraction.

So in case you haven’t caught on yet- being single has nothing to with anyone but ME.  Forget the god awful quotes you read on Tumbler.  You know which ones I’m talking about…

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Yeah.  Exactly.  Stop posting that ridiculous shit.  “Amazing” should be a no-brainer.  It should be the bare minimum of traits in your significant other.  It should not need a Pinterest board to remind you- or anyone else– of that.  Instead, remind yourself of your own amazing attributes.  They are SO much more interesting.

As we grow, we go through our own personal life experiences at different times.  Our first date…  Our first kiss…  Our first love…  Our second…  Some people go on to Grad School.  Some never even finish High School.  These are the very factors that make each of us so beautifully unique.  So why should anything else have an expiration date.  There are no numbers stamped on me that say “Best by ##/##/####”.  And yet here we all are, happily going on about our days, doing the best we can, trying to achieve our own goals.  So just like all the other beautiful, unique factors that make you YOU, who is anyone to determine the timeline for all the things still to come?

So the next time someone asks why you’re still single- tell them the truth.

That you’re not single.

You’re fine.

In fact, you’re more than just fine-

You’re fabulous.

#BombshellCode 

(Although I might start forwarding those chain letters- just in case… ;))

X

Confessions: Intro

Confession 1: 

The Intro

Yes, yes- I know.  I promised you when this fabulous site first launched that I would be open and honest about my own personal love life.  And I think now is the perfect time to begin that process.

You see, a very large motivating factor for this very site is my perpetual habit of choosing men that are SO wrong for me.  Like, really wrong.  Like, so wrong that my own Mom gave up any kind of hope a long time ago.  And lets be honest- if I made logical decisions on whom I dated, I doubt I would be nearly as interesting.  Or scarred (literally).  And think of all the awesome experiences I would have missed out on.  Like finding out the guy you’ve been dating for a month is married.  Or being bit by an overly intoxicated date (I really wasn’t joking about the scar).  And then there’s the closet Jesus freak that compared me to a prostitute (thank you POF!).  How about the guy that freaked out on me, and then blamed it on his preventative hair-loss medication…

By now, I have enough experience to supply complete storylines for at least 3 movies.  Except none of them come with Fairytale endings.  Yet.  No, they’re probably more like horror films.  And clearly I’m like the dumb, slutty blonde character that always dies in the end because she runs the (very obvious) wrong way.

You would think I’d learn by now…

Which brings me to my topic.

After years of dating, and with no real relationships to really show for it, it makes me wonder- Are we all willing to keep putting ourselves out there because we’re addicted to love?  Or just the rush of dating to find someone better?

Lets go back to the old boring way people used to do it.  There was no internet, no texting, no Joe Manganiello.  I mean, that’s enough right there for me to hate things.  But yet, I think people were at their happiest when it came to dating.  They didn’t have a whole world of potential partners to choose from- they had their hometown.  They didn’t initiate contact with weeks of texting before “hanging out”.  They went on actual dates.  Together.  Without any prior knowledge of each other that they gathered from Facebook and Google.  Like, whoa.

And for those still not quite sure what this mythical term means, “Dating” was considered a formal act of courtship.  A clear first step in determining if you guys were going to get hitched down the road.  They went to places like drive-ins.  Probably because the only action they could even hope for HAD to take place during the actual date itself- because going home with the other person at the end of the night wasn’t even an option.  Hence why you actually had to GO TO PLACES SPECIFICALLY TO MAKEOUT.  Where other couples were making out around you (Ew…).  And then you waited for a phone call.  Like, really waited.  By a phone that was connected to a wall.  For days (which would be like weeks today).  And that was code for “You are now in consideration for future hitching”.

Awesome.

Take my parents, for instance- they met at a party… and never left each others side.  They grew up in the same town.  Met through mutual friends.  Fell in love.  And STAYED in love.  As a bonus, they even got me out of the deal.  Again- Awesome.

And since we’re on that note, lets look at me.  It seems the fact that I have remained single is so unexplainable to my friends.  No one can understand it.  Or when I meet someone new…..

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I often get stared at in wonder by family the same way people probably look at crop circles.  How?  Why?  Should we be afraid??  After all, I come from a good, balanced family.  My childhood was almost TOO perfect.  There are no tragic incidents from my past to report.  I have a college degree.  A great career.  BAD shopping habits (it cant all be sunshine and roses…).  I’m healthy…  Intelligent…  Happy…

So…. whats wrong with me?

The answer- Absolutely nothing.

I’m just an example, or by-product even, of dating by today’s standards.  Or rather, lack thereof.  I’m an example of someone addicted to the thrill of the hunt and driven by personal challenge.  Men are trophies.  Sex is power.  And feelings, if you even have any, are disposable.  Terrified at the thought of missing out on someone better, I never want to get too attached.

Okay, so I’m not totally ALL of those things.  Not all together.  Because that would make me a frigid bitch that’s incapable of love.  If anything, I’m the exact opposite.  I look for it so hard that I ignore all the signs that are screaming for me to run.  And yet I don’t.  Because I’m the dumb blonde that always runs the wrong way, remember?  But I can probably directly link one or more of those reasons to most of, if not all, of my past relationships.

And speaking of which, lets look at some of those, shall we?

*As a side note to the men of my past who might find themselves reading this- relax.  Your identity is safe.  This isn’t a Burn Book, and you’re not that special.  But it IS my honest opinion.  So deal with it.

Now, I cant possibly write about all the great loves of my life in one post.  I feel like I would be cheating you from some pretty epic examples of “Oh no he didn’t!!” moments.  And those moments are exactly what you came here for.  And just to set the record straight- I’m no angel myself.  But most of you probably already guessed that.

So instead, I’ll share these stories with you individually.  In the form of “Confessions”.  Confessions to my past addictions (also known as “men”), and the lessons that came with them.  Because like any good drug, they all had some euphoric hold on me.  And then eventually left me strung out and exhausted.  Some even left me ashamed.  Others craving another hit.  Some I went multiple rounds with.  Some I hope to never lay eyes on again.  Ever.

So get ready.  Because honesty is always the best policy….

Sorry I’m not sorry.

#BombshellCode

X

“There’s nothing wrong with getting dirty when you clean up well.”