I have a new favorite blogger, New York Times Bestseller, Mandy Hale, the writer of The Single Woman. She's candid, raw, and puts life being single into well-written words.
Being single over 20 years, I can't summarize it. It's a million reasons and stories that are all woven together in the fabric of my life. There were countless choices and reasons then as there are now.
One thing that I can say is, when I look back now, I understand why.
God.
Here is a part of one of her posts that caught my attention, because I love the movie, the very funny romantic comedy, The Ugly Truth. Mandy goes into her depth of The Ugly Truth of being single.
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Why do I SAY I’m still single?
A pithy, “Because I’m too fabulous to settle.”
A polite, “Because I’m waiting for God to bring me the right man.”
A peppy, “Because there are still things I’m meant to accomplish as a single woman!”
But the truth is…sometimes I think the reason I’m still single is because I’m inherently flawed. Bad. Ugly. Undeserving. Screwed up. Unlovable.
THIS is the underbelly of singleness. The dark side. Where the rubber meets the road. Where the truth comes out and it’s not the slightest bit pretty, or inspirational, or even positive.
It is, in fact, very ugly.
I’ve dressed it up in pretty pink girl power with a silver lining ... use positivity as a defense mechanism with some cheesy quote or self-help speech ... but neither should we walk around like Tigger all the time springing into action when we feel like sighing.
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There is the good, the bad, and the ugly truth whether you are single or married. Each of our journeys are different.
Look at social media, there are so many that seem to use snapshots of the positive to gloss over their life. I like Mandy's honesty. The good, the encouraging, but she also shares when she isn't feeling all the feels, that's when it gets real.
It's made me reflect and ask myself if I do the same. I believe I do. Throughout my blog there are seasons of joy, seasons of heartbreak and just real life in between.
If Mandy only shared the positives, it would feel superficial, and quite honestly, superficial is the new normal. Superficial is only true and real until examined more closely, that's annoying and honestly transparent.
She doesn't. She writes straight from the heart and it's almost as if you're sitting down having a conversation with her over a cup of coffee.
I love having a new favorite author.
Look at social media, there are so many that seem to use snapshots of the positive to gloss over their life. I like Mandy's honesty. The good, the encouraging, but she also shares when she isn't feeling all the feels, that's when it gets real.
It's made me reflect and ask myself if I do the same. I believe I do. Throughout my blog there are seasons of joy, seasons of heartbreak and just real life in between.
If Mandy only shared the positives, it would feel superficial, and quite honestly, superficial is the new normal. Superficial is only true and real until examined more closely, that's annoying and honestly transparent.
She doesn't. She writes straight from the heart and it's almost as if you're sitting down having a conversation with her over a cup of coffee.
I love having a new favorite author.
"My alone feels so good,
I'll only have you if you're sweeter than my solitude."
- The Single Woman
