...be the only single friend...

...i've heard it before from people..."i am the only single friend blah blah blah"...but really...i pretty much am...

...I'm almost 23 and I really didn't think I was going to have to think about friends getting married and having kids for at least a few more years. That is not the case. It seems like all of a sudden everyone I know is getting engaged, married, or worse...having children (at least it's unintentional).

Okay I get it...we all just finished college so people feel pressure to take the next logical step. There are a couple flaws with this. 1.) not all of you are waiting until you graduate...there's nothing like living in the dorms with your husband. 2.) You just got out of school...how are you supposed to start a life with all that debt. 3.) you're still young and have some maturing to do...what's the rush to get married...you could date for a while longer.

Don't get me wrong...I'm not that cynical. I love weddings as much as the next person but when all your friends start dropping like flies and suddenly all conversations revolve around wedding planning...it gets old real fast.

I think I first started to realize that I was the last single girl when I went to a wedding with some friends a month ago. Four of us were driving up to the wedding together and talking about all the new engagements in the car. Then we realized that we were the only four people (out of our friends) that would be "single" at the wedding. All the other friends were alredy married or engaged. Only my other three friends in the car were in relationships. So when they say "All you single gals, come out to catch the bouquet" I would be the onyl one going out there...along with probably a few tween aged family members. Is that not ridiculous?

Even worse than being the solo bouquet catcher is that everyone assumes that you SHOULD be in a relationship so they try to set you up with any single person they know. It's as if the worst things a young woman can be is single. Any old person will do. Then you ask if they would date the person that they suggested to you and they say no, and that he's kind of weird...but really he's a nice guy. Then don't suggest him.

When I say "I'm single" please do not mistake this statement as "Send me your strange, your jobless, your freaks and assholes". Blind dates are the most awkward invention in our culture (please see : Vince Vaughn's rant in Wedding Crashers about the "forced awkward intimate situation"...i couldn't have said it better myself)

So please...the only favor I want you to do me is not treat me like there's something wrong with me for not freaking out over being single. I'm not concerned about it and you shouldn't be either. Cut me some slack. I'm only 22. I'd rather enjoy what I have then obsess about what I don't.


Until next time...make sure you check out the playback of Jamie Moyer bunting a triple and kncoking over and umpire ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lzJPb6CqvE)...


~Sheila