Home > Singles > Single Minded
One Oddball to Another
December 27, 2000
A year ago this month I became the singles columnist for
ChristianityToday.com. I remember in one of my first columns I
challenged you all to make the most of your singleness — as I
was attempting to do by becoming "SingleWoman" — all the while
wondering how on earth I'd find enough different and intelligent
things to say about singleness to fill a new column every two
weeks.
Well … ask and ye shall receive. Over the past year, three
women on my immediate staff got married, I ran into an old
boyfriend — "the" old boyfriend, a dating relationship ended, I
had a birthday that ends in 9, and of course there was
Valentine's Day, wedding season, and the holidays. Just when I'd
run out of things to write about, God provided some funny or
this-will-be-funny-someday moments for me to share. In fact, I
began to almost look forward to those inevitable awkward
interactions of singleness, knowing it would be fodder for
another column. Sick, I know, but true.
To be honest, the hard part hasn't been finding things to write
about, as I'd feared, but having the guts to share all these
personal details about my life. I'll admit my efforts to put my
best foot forward over the years has earned me the accusation of
being a bit prissy. I rarely go out in public without makeup on,
I like to dress nice even when hanging out with friends, and I
use more hair products than I have limbs on my body. And yet here
I am every other week telling you about my single bed, my
neurotic thoughts, my heartbreaking breakups, and a whole host of
other longings, temptations, and fears (oh my!).
Why? you may ask.
The answer to my transparency lies in a big pile in the corner of
my bedroom. You see, I've printed out every positive response
I've received over the past year from single readers such as you.
The pile is large, growing exponentially, and full of the same
sentiment over and over: "You too? I thought I was the only one!"
Many times over the past year I've held my breath as we've sent
out another singles newsletter, thinking surely I've shared too
many, too trivial, too personal details from my life. And
inevitably, within the next hours and days, my e-mail in-box
fills with messages saying: "It's so nice to know I'm not the
only one who feels this way," "You're reading my mind!" and
"Amen, Sister!"
I share this not to give myself any glory. Quite the contrary, as
I read these responses I sit amazed that God can use the random
rants and reflections of an ordinary joe like me to encourage and
inspire others. I share this to let you in on the secret I've
learned over the past year — nearly all of us single people have
lonely moments, neurotic thoughts, hopeless romantic tendencies,
frustrations with nosy relatives, outsider feelings in the
church, and surprise single blessings.
It's sad, yet not surprising that these quirky qualities rarely
get shared when we're all spiffed up on Sunday mornings — or
when we're gathered with our peers, who look so nice and normal.
But the reality is we're all weird, we're all wonderful ("normal"
is so overrated!), and we're all desperately in need of knowing
we're not the only oddballs out here.
So I share. And we provide message boards for you to do the same.
And we're brainstorming ways over the next year to allow even
more honest exchange about what it's really like to be single and
Christian.
And to all of you who've sent those e-mails that are sitting in
my room, I can't send out huge enough thanks. For I, too, am
another neurotic single person who's been so blessed to know I'm
not alone.
Blessings!
Camerin Courtney
Sign up for the Singles Newsletter and receive a new article from Camerin plus community updates in your inbox every other week!
Copyright © 2000 ChristianityToday.com
| |
|
