Playing with Barbie and Ken as a child and dreaming of my wedding, I didn’t imagine my life would not include the white dress, picket fence, and children. As time evolved, I finally realized at the age of 37 that a traditional family was not in God’s plan for me. He set me apart to live life as a single woman.
Reprogrammed thinking, adjustments, and lots of prayers led me to a life that I love. I’ve learned a myriad of truths tucked in with wisdom nuggets that I’d like to share with my fellow single women. Whether you are widowed, divorced, never married, with children, without children, they apply to all of us.
Here are 20 things I’ve learned as a single woman:
1. I can be content in all things.
2. I am as valuable as a married woman.
3. I don’t need a man to be whole.
4. God is my husband.
5. I can Google anything and learn how to make home repairs.
6. I found a good mechanic I can trust who respects women.
7. Friends are vital to my emotional well-being.
8. I discovered hobbies I loved and choose one on days I am lonely or depressed.
9. It’s okay to eat out by myself. I take a good book and value the time.
10. The world won’t collapse if I go to a movie or a museum alone. I often enjoy it more.
11. The best time spent is with my Savior.
12. I have developed ingenuity—from figuring out how to get the Christmas decorations in the attic by myself to hanging pictures solo.
13. Nobody can make me feel bad about myself unless I allow them to.
14. There are perks to being single: I control the thermostat temperature, my money, my schedule, and the TV remote.
15. I am braver and more courageous.
16. I have an inner strength that has developed from being single.
17. I love my extended family more deeply.
18. I am chosen.
19. I don’t compare because nobody’s life is perfect. Hallmark movies and The Bachelor are not reality.
20. Jesus understands because he was single too.
I could have listed a lot more because there are advantages and disadvantages to each life situation. According to Psalm 16:5, God assigned my portion and my cup. So, what he has chosen for me is the best place to be. It’s like the old saying, “Bloom where you’re planted.” If I’m living life as a single, then I’m going to strive to make it the best life possible. I don’t want to look back someday with regret but with a smile and a pocket full of great memories.
What about you? What have you learned as a single woman?
