This is Craig’s adaptation of someone else’s comments:
Ten Things Your Single Friends (like me) Are Tired Of Hearing
1) “You’ll find it when you aren’t looking!”
This is typically where your advice starts. ”It’ll come along when you least expect it,” is also “You’ll find it when you aren’t looking“ This is a ridiculous and retarded statement. We’re programmed to look for it. It’s in our genetic make-up, God make us this way. That’s like saying, “hey, you know that dream career you want? forget working at it. It’ll happen when you least expect it. One day you’ll be walking down the street and BAM you’ll be a CEO. And it’ll be success after success for years after, but don’t work for it or anything like that. Just maybe chill out on this couch. It’ll come to you.” You need to stop telling us not to look for it, because let me tell you something, there have been times I have been looking for a pen and instead some serendipitous moron came along that I thought could have been my princess (but turned out instead to be the ugly step-sister) and there have been days and times and months and years where I wasn’t looking for it, and guess what came along? A jar of Nutella and a few bananas between some slices of bread.
2) “You can’t be happy in a relationship unless you’re happy with yourself first.”
This is true. BUT even though there are those of us who ARE actually happy with who we are, God make us to be part of a couple. Brett. I’m happy with myself. I’m so happy with myself I actually wake up every morning and brush my teeth with rainbows. Seriously though, “finding yourself” is a process in life, and I don’t think you’re ever really “done,” per se. Am I completely different person than I was in college? Not entirely. Have I gone through a ton of real world experiences that have changed my outlook and made me stronger, happier, more independent, and more of a catch? Yes. Am I happy with myself? Yes. Will I continue to grow and change and all that stuff that humans do until they die? With God’s grace, Yes. Consider that it’s not that all of us happy single people need someone in our lives to dote on us and make us happier, it’s that we’re finally happy and we want someone to share it with. Also, a lot of you “happy” people in relationships seem like you need to have a few weeks on your own to evaluate yourselves. The incessant need for your boyfriend to text you back within thirty seconds after a text may not be the best proof surrounding your statement. Try again.
3) “You’re still young, you got all the time in the world.”
You’re still annoying. We don’t give care how old we are. Age isn’t really what we’re complaining about. And although many of us are young, we still have examples of people who are old and alone every day. And that’s terrifying. So your logic is moot.
4) “You deserve someone who wants to give you everything.”
Hey, I couldn’t agree more. Actually after hearing this a couple dozen times it makes me feel like you’re just saying it to avoid the conversation about how depressing it is that no one has come along yet. You could list a million reasons why I’m worth all the love and unicorns and mermaids in the world, and I would be on your page a hundred percent. As a matter of fact, I would have written more pages after we were both done being on your page, so that we could also be on those pages as well. So now that I know what I deserve, what clever thing do you have to say that will make me feel better about the fact that I still don’t have what I deserve?
5) “You’re looking in the wrong places.”
This one’s particularly good. Because then I get to ask the follow up question of “then please tell me where I should be looking.” Tell me more about this magical land that you found your significant other? OH, was it CHURCH? Or WORK? Or was it the GYM? Or The running or Cycling club? Or were you SET UP? Please tell me, because I guarantee, I have had some type of dating experience with someone from each place you say is the “right” place to look. You people seem to think that all of us single people just go out to bars and get trashed and try to marry the first thing that comes along. I don’t even visit bars, although I am considering it to drown out your stupid advice!
6) ”You should try online dating!”
And you should try seeing how much of your head you can fit into an oven. I’ve tried it. Internet dating is essentially Craigslist missed connections with direct messaging and a few more pictures from 10 years ago. OKCupid, Match.com, Christianmingle (WHY GOD, WHY) all of these sites are probably the WORST place to find real love. Love isn’t something that you should have to read manifestos and “6 things I can’t live without” sections to find. It’s probably one of the most inorganic ways to find someone, in my opinion, and I’m not knocking it (my sister found her husband on internet dating), but one grows tired of the likes of “Your dream girl”, the recently divorced mother of three, (from 3 fathers). The rest are too busy to even get together for coffee.
7) “You’re too picky.”
OH, I’M SORRY. Please, lead me to your lair of Boyle look-a-likes and Frankenstein’s with kind hearts. Let’s be clear, I’m not picky, but I’m not going to settle for the wrong person either. I’ve asked out plenty of women, just because it doesn’t work out doesn’t mean I’m too picky!!!!
8) “There are plenty of fish in the sea.”
I don’t even have anything to say for this. There’s too much rage from number 7.
9) “You need to put yourself out there more.”
Unless I need to be naked on the corner of Monument and Dan Rd. throwing money in the air and simultaneously holding a puppy, I think I’m doing a pretty good job. But hey, if you have any more advice on REALLY putting myself out there, let me know. Maybe existing as a human being and going places and meeting people in the world just isn’t enough.
10) “I’m Engaged!”
Ja, well… whoopy!
[…] Hear from Craig Botha […]
You bear a kind of angst that I am too embarrassed to have for fear of being dismissed by my peers. I also happen to be a highly sensitive person, so, I have a hard time not internalizing all these well-intentioned yet insensitive comments from married and dating folks. I appreciate your point for number 3) to the response of being “still young”. I have a lot of folks in my age group whom are married or have significant others. I don’t expect to be married at my age, but it can feel a little bit alienating having never been in a serious relationship with anyone, especially when most of my friends have, still are, or are married. There is truth in our being young, but it doesn’t make having the desire and the loss of seeing that desire fulfilled any less painful. I think all I want is someone to be with me in my pain, without trying to “fix” the problem with some trite saying.
The first and second reactions I find are the most annoying and painful in my experience. I think I am a pretty great person (despite being weak and flawed) on most days and I think I have a good head on my shoulders and a deeper sense of responsibility than a lot of folks my age. But there is a pain and shame that #1 and #2 bring when someone speaks it — almost as if one isn’t being “Christian enough” or “single-minded enough”. It can cause me to feel like longing and looking is wrong, and the reason why I haven’t met someone yet.
thankx for sharing, Rachel. yeah it is quite tricky as no-one is intentionally trying to hurt anyone and often comments are made either out of ignorance or forgetfulness [what it was like when they/we were single] but also some times out of trying to do the right thing and just getting it wrong which is why i thought this series would be a good idea – it is helpful for married people to hear from their single friends if there are any ways that they can make it easier or less sucky if at times it is… but yes really tricky one to walk and most important that we open lines of communication and create safe spaces to be heard and to hear on both sides…
I have had all of these said to me at some point, thanks for sharing and putting in to words a lot of how I’ve felt about them. Yes, how do I stop looking? And in married folks defense, ALOT of these things have been said to me by singles as well! I find younger singles to also be an unhelpful and often hurtful group as well.
thankx for sharing Lisa – i really think a lot of the time it is because people don’t know what to say and are trying to fill space because we are so scared for silence for some reason – sorry that you have been hurt by it – it is usually unthinkingness as opposed to maliciousness and hopefully posts like this will help some of those people realise what they do… if you haven’t read the Singleness stories under the Taboo Topics tab on my blog, check those out because there are some powerful stories by some good friends of mine which might be encouraging… all the best, love brett fish