Pet peeve alert!  Yes, as I get older, it seems I have more pet peeves.  Or maybe I’m just more vocal about them.

There are a lot of memes like this pic floating around over there on facebook or pinterest.  At first glance, I suppose this should be a sort of positive and uplifting message.  But I think it infers being single is a sort of purgatory – the place you are waiting for, well, something else.  This is the kind of comment made by someone who is (allegedly) happy in a relationship to a poor unfortunate soul who is *gasp* alone.  It is meant to be kind, but it really isn’t.

There was a time, say about twenty or twenty five years ago, when this quote would have been a sort of anchor for me. Instead of feeling REALLY sorry for myself, I would have instead tried to tell myself that I was “strong”.  Or that the ever elusive perfect man was out there somewhere; it was only a matter of time and being patient.

But the problem with this theory is that while single people are “waiting” they are not “living”.  They are pushing off living a full life waiting for Mr. or Ms. Elusive Perfect Mate.  I know this because I did it.  For years.    I began to think everyone else knew the secret code to pairing up.  Like I missed a day when the secret was divulged to all the other lucky souls. Instead, I was doomed to a life of  feeling left out. Waiting for something that may or may not happen is exactly no fun at all.

So now I see this quote as a sort of slap in the face.  Maybe what we “deserve” is to just be happy with where we are in life. Maybe I “deserve” being an independent, single, and moderately successful woman.  Maybe not everyone is destined to be part of a couple.

Quit waiting.   You have one life to live so get to it.