Thursday's 10: Being Single is NOT a Disease

So Thursday's 10 is going to look a tad different today. I am going to tell you a story first... get ready!! Also, check out my lovely Lora's blog as I am linking this up with hers!

Story time! In the past weeks, I have had so many people (all on their own might I add you) feel sorry for me. Since most of these conversations were by texting, I received more of a virtual pat on the head. One you might see given to a sad little puppy dog. Do I look like a dog? If you are my enemy, please do not answer that question. Let me give you an example of a texting conversation I had with a good guy friend I went to high school with several weeks ago(sorry if you are reading this....yes i am using you as blog bait. hate me?):

FRIEND: "So, are you dating anyone yet"

ME: "The answer is the same it was when you asked me 3 days ago. No, I am not"

FRIEND: "I am so so sorry. I just feel horrible for you, and I wish there was something I could do"

ME: "Um, excuse me?"

FRIEND: "You are just too pretty of a girl to be single. You are amazing, and it seems like you are a waste of an awesome, and beautiful girl. It's just a waste of a life Tash"

ME (boiling, bubbling, fuming, and any other word that reminds you of fire and the color red.. but not the good red): "WHAAAAAAAAATTTT. You can not be serious"

FRIEND: "Why would I not be serious? It is true. A girl like you does not need to be alone. It is a waste, and I hate to see you live this kind of life. You are alone"

ME: "First of all, being single is not a disease! It is not a horrible life, I do not cry myself to sleep all night. There is nothing wrong with being single, and I have an amazing life, that I am very thankfully. Lastly, I am going to stop talking to you for a little bit, because if I don't I will drive to your house and punch you in the face"

This was not my first encounter with conversations such as this (but it I had to take several breathes to chill out after speaking with him). As I have been in a few relationships, I have also been single at times as well. Although, these conversations are getting more and more. I thought Harding was bad about this (and believe me... it was), but something about being 25 is making it worse. People are so concerned about me. Is it wonderful being in a relationship with someone you love? Well, sometimes. Is it lonely being single? Well, sometimes. Can you find true joy and happiness in both situations? Yes. yes. yes. oh and yes again! Honestly, I would be irked with this single or not. I know most of my readers are NOT single, and this is honestly not a post about man hating, or being pro single or not. It is how you can be happy and have joy WHEREVER you are in life. Single, married, divorced, separated, whatever... you can have a full life in any season. Bad or good. Now for 10 random quotes about life, some apply to this post and some do not. Who cares really? Obviously, not me :) Really this post was just an excuse to tell you a story, so IF YOU MUST.. you can skip the quotes :). Find joy today... single or not. No matter where you are... there is a plan, and you are not a waste of a beautiful life... get on with it!

1."My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it's on your plate"--Thornton Wilder

2. “People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.”
- Audrey Hepburn

3."Everybody wants to be fancy and new. Nobody wants to be themselves. I mean, maybe people want to be themselves, but they want to be different, with different clothes or shorter hair or less fat. It's a fact. If there was a guy who just liked being himself and didn't want to be anybody else, that guy would be the most different guy in the world and everybody would want to be him."
— Donald Miller

4.“It is true that God may have called you to be exactly where you are. But, it is absolutely vital to grasp that he didn't call you there so you could settle in and live your life in comfort and superficial peace…God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through”
- Francis Chan

5.The unoccupied fields of the world await those who are willing to be lonely for the sake of Christ.
-Samuel Zwemer

6.“Think about it. If you are single, after graduation there isn’t one occasion where people celebrate you … Hallmark doesn’t make a “congratulations, you didn’t marry the wrong guy” card. And where’s the flatware for going on vacation alone?" -Carrie Bradshaw

7.Meredith Grey: Intimacy is a four syllable word for, "Here's my heart and soul, please grind them into hamburger, and enjoy."

8.Everyday brings a chance for you to draw in a breath, kick off your shoes and dance.

9."Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work" Mother Teresa

10. If I discover within myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.
-C.S. Lewis