The Ultimate Single Woman

It's the Carrie in Me

I don't know what has gotten into me lately, but I have become OBSESSED with Sex and The City. Not only did I purchase the big box set (for a screaming deal I might add) but I managed to watch all six seasons plus the two movies in less than a month. When I bought the set, I honestly thought I was just going to try and get into a new show. I underestimated the impact this series would have on my life. Not only did it give me a new appreciation for fashion, shoes, drinks, and the absolutely glamorous New York City, but it also taught me an awful lot about relationships. So here we go. This blog post is all about the new found "Carrie" in me.

For starters, let me just make something clear. I have always and will always love the country. It's just where my roots are and I never thought I would miss it as much as I have since I've been at college. After watching the series, I developed a hunger for New York. I crave the fashion, the atmosphere and just the experience of living there. Honestly, I want crave to be the next Carrie Bradshaw. 

Why do I love Carrie Bradshaw so much? Here's a few reasons: her closet, her shoes, her style, her hair, her job, her apartment....need I say more? 

But, the biggest reason why I love Carrie is her outlook on relationships, not only with men but with her friends. Carrie's friends are so important to her and there is never a dull moment when they're together. Carrie sees her friends as her only family and she never lets a man come between them. Not only that, every time Carrie and her friends go out they have an absolute blast. I love the fact that I have the same relationships with my friends. When we go out, we have a good time! We laugh, we dance, we drink! We're not stressing about school or boys or work, instead we're just happy everyone is together. Sure, we all have those days where we hate everything and all we want to do is hide in a hole and eat. But, the best type of friends are the ones who would drop anything to hang out in that hole with you. These friends are your soul mates. They're the ones who are going to crab about boys with you, eat your feelings with you, stand beside you when you get married, hold your hair when you've had too much to drink but most of all, they will never leave you. Even if they are a million miles away. In the words of Carrie Bradshaw, "Seasons change. So do cities. People come into your life and people go. But, it's comforting to know the ones you love are always in your heart. And, if you're lucky, a plane ride away." 

Carrie's relationships with men are the epitome of every single woman in America. Let's be honest for a second. If us girls had it our way, men would only be good for delivering food, telling us how pretty we are and cuddling. They would have the body of a Greek God and they would pay attention to every single detail of our lives. Sadly, not every single woman can have Ryan Gosling. But we have ourselves. What I don't understand is why this concept is so hard for some women? Why do we need some one to hold us at night or tell us we're pretty? Why is it so important for us to be in a relationship? Sure, love is....awesome. However, love can't be timed. It can't be forced. As cliché as it sounds, love just...happens. So why are we chasing it?

  

(This is where my inner Carrie Bradshaw chimes in) My advice....STOP. Stop chasing, looking, waiting. Just stop. Instead...live, laugh, enjoy yourself. Thanks to Carrie, I finally opened my eyes to the beauty of me. I want to travel, I want to live in New York City, I want a career, I want to make my own money, I want to spend money on myself because I think I deserve it. I want to be the 22 year-old with no responsibilities outside bills and school, I want to be young for as long as I possibly can. I don't want to hold myself back, I don't want to second guess my choices, I don't want to plan my life around a man. I'M IN THE PRIME OF MY YOUTH! The way I see it, I have 20 plus years to find Mr. Right, get married, have babies and do the soccer mom thing. 

This is the beauty of being single, ladies. We have all the time in the world. Sure, our best friends from high school got married or every time we log onto to Facebook someone else is engaged or "in a relationship". Yeah, seeing stuff like that makes us think we're missing something. Our now married high school friends or our now engaged Facebook friends are lucky. They're lucky because they got the gift of love, now. We were just given a different gift. Time. We have time to find ourselves before we share that with someone else. We have time to fall in love with every aspect of our lives. We have time to change into who we want to be. There is nothing wrong with you and there is nothing wrong with the "guy". It's time. Our timing isn't now. Our time for love with a man might not come for 5, 10, 15, or even 20 years. However, the time to fall in love with ourselves is happening...right...now. The way I see it, I only have myself for so long before I devote it to a spouse or to kids. Why not fall in love with myself first? Why not spoil myself rotten? It's my God given right as a single woman to put myself first. We all deserve love. But most of all, we deserve love from ourselves.  

"The most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you, you love, well, that's just fabulous." -- Carrie Bradshaw.

Ladies, raise your glass (of water, wine, diet coke, what have you) and repeat after me. Here's to the guys that love us, the losers that lost us and the lucky bros that get to meet us. Here's to us. Cheers!

With love,

Laine (future Carrie Bradshaw)