I see you over there—watching Redeeming Love as you curl up in a ball on your couch with a bowl of popcorn in one hand and a can of La Croix in the other. Last month, you promised yourself that you wouldn’t watch this movie because it’s a bit risqué. But that was before your boyfriend broke up with you. Before your best friend told you that she’s engaged. Before you realized that you’re 21 and have never been kissed. (Or insert other scenario that has caused a wave of indescribable loneliness to overtake you.) All you wanted was a little pick-me-up in the love department.
Dear Single Girl, Don’t Be Afraid of Being Forever Alone
I know 22 engaged couples (i.e., 44 less single people whom I know). These family members, friends, acquaintances, and practically-strangers will be joining together in matrimony. Suddenly, it feels like the clock is ticking for me—very, very fast.
I’m Sorry, Hallmark: Maybe I Misjudged You
Perhaps I enjoy Hallmark movies so much because of my increasing age and loneliness. Or maybe I enjoy them because of my desperation for clean romantic movies in a sea of sex-saturated romance movies—or just desperation in general.
Dear Corporate Ladder-Climber
I know that you wonder if one day—someday—all of the eye pain, neck pain, and back pain will pay off. If the 45-minute commute, the horrendous traffic, and the interstate driving will pay off. If the long, lonely hours of staring at a screen trapped inside white prison walls will pay off.
Dear Single Girl, You’re Not Alone (Even When Your Best Friend Gets Engaged)
Today wasn’t hard because your best friend’s fiancé is a loser. In fact, the opposite is true. He loves Jesus, he has an amazing job, and he’s super tan. Nor was today hard because your best friend’s going to move across the country to live with her fiancé after they tie the knot. In fact, the opposite is true—they’re going to live in the area and make a cute little family here. The real reason that today was hard was because—as selfish as you know it sounds—your forehead got stamped with the bolded black word “alone.”
Dear Idol
I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately. I’m wondering why I devote so much of my time and energy to you. I mean, you’re not the best thing that’s ever happened to me. In fact, you’ve left me feeling miserable, guilty, and anxious quite often.
Dear Future Husband, I Know We Won’t Be Perfect
I’m writing this letter to you because I want you to know that I have high expectations for you. I don’t want to trudge through decades of singleness and end up with a subpar husband. However, I also want you to know that my expectations for you are reasonable. By the way, you should probably have reasonable expectations for me as well…because I’m pretty broken.
Dear Single Girl, I Have More to Tell You
I know that I recently wrote you a letter about accepting your singleness while still being honest about how challenging it is. But there’s something else that’s just as important that I need to share with you: I truly believe that you're single for a reason. So Single Girl, find purpose in whatever you do while you wait to date and get married.
Dear Zoom
The year 2020 was a year of virtual everything—meetings, classes, conferences, church services, baby showers, bridal showers, funerals, performances, and more. I hadn't done much video chatting before 2020, but all of a sudden, video chatting became the new normal. While it's great for connecting with friends and family members who live far away, it can never replace in-person interactions and relationships.