Single

This word holds a lot of meaning. Some people like it, some people hate it. I admit I'm not particularly fond of it. But we've all met those people who think the label "single" is almost as bad as having the plague, or like a great big scarlet letter tattooed on your head. (I know most of you have a person in mind right now!) Why is this? What has caused this to be such a stigma?

What about labels in general? Think about it. Single, Married, Divorced, Parent, Grandparent, Student, Graduate, the list goes on and on. What do these labels really mean? Yes they mean the obvious but the label of single only gives you one simple piece of information about my life. Some people take on these "labels" to be the sole meaning of who and what they are. This is sad.

Why do we live in a society where we're always looking forward to the next thing? If only I were married. I can't wait to have kids. I can't wait for my kids to have kids. I wish I was in college. I can't wait to graduate college. Then there the backwards group. I wish I was single again. I wish I could give my kids back. I wish I could quit my job and just be a full time student again. Could it be that no "label" is better than another, just different? Could it be that each period of life has the same amount of joy combined with the same amount of struggles? I think so.

I am not married but I want to be some day. I want to have kids one day as well but I also love my life right now. I love the simpleness of it. I can go where I want when I want. I don't need to consult with anyone. I can spend money the way I choose. I can watch anything I want on TV and the house is always to myself. Although I struggle with times of desperately wanting to share it with someone I also get a little freaked out. I've been by myself for so long how will I adjust to sharing? What if I get what I want and it's not what I expected. It's in these moments that it becomes so very apparent to me that each phase of life will have it's own issues and struggles. So I've decided to be content where I am. I trust that God will give me the things I desire and when I get them I will learn how to deal with those new joys and struggles but until then, I will be happy where I'm at!