Please Don't Assume

Read another great article today by the original Savvy Auntie, Melanie Notkin. You may kinda remember she is a reason for my blogger comeback.  You may also kinda, sorta remember that I enjoy her articles because she openly addresses that fact that while being a single woman is more acceptable now, it still has a stigma. Believe what you want, but it's true.

Her article in the Huffington Post today is called "Single Woman Does Not Equal 'Career Woman.'" Good stuff. Because when you're almost 30, single and working, people assume your career is most important. Wrong. I would love to be married (happily married), raising kids, and not facing every day alone. I like my job, sure, but I like it mostly because it pays the bills. What I love is friends and family. And the reason I am still single is not because I chose my career over love, it's because I haven't found love yet. And because maybe I'm a little picky.

Get it right: the fact that I choose to be happy and find joy in my circumstances, that I chose to do well in my job, and that I do not mope around and spend every evening husband hunting doesn't mean I don't want marriage and family. And for people to assume that is a , "Punch in the gut," as Melanie puts it. There are many times I would love to have a pair of arms to step into to get a little relief, someone else to pay some of the bills, and darn it- someone to take the freaking car to have its oil changed! But he isn't here, so I do it.

This could become a rant, so I will stop. But read the article and know that there is value in realizing that the people around you may not have chosen their circumstances, but they may be doing their best anyway. And that goes for all people, not just single women. That is just my struggle and my life. Remember to look at the people whose path you cross with love, not judgement. Remember that you can either uplift them or bring them down. Watch what you say off the cuff, because we all have our struggles. Be kind. And be supportive.