Skip to main content

Single Ladies: Thank You, Next!

I just had the most vivid dream about my high school crush!



I think I love him! But that's a conversation for another day. Hey single ladies, (Beyoncé wave)! How are you beautiful goddesses? I am fine thank you.

The journey is so exciting and evolutionary. To imagine where we started from six years ago to date, the amount of internal change and personal growth. Like you, I'm still single, but I'm now single with a purpose. And I can safely say that I am ready for Mr Put-a-ring-on-it, and the whole shebang - flaws and all. Even my brother's girlfriend affirmed that I am a mature woman ready to settle down. But it's not the narrative for all the single ladies and that's okay!

My older sister and I always have these conversations about personal growth and self love. She is a wellness and mental health consultant with a background in psychiatry. I am a work in progress with a nursing background, psychology and psychiatry included. I also use my personal experiences as the example and testimony to assist others on their own journey.

We are both on the path of self healing, discovery and love as we navigate through relationships. The other day we discussed the issue of relationship types. We went in about how we love and types. I explained to my sister that my type, now, is a man who is intentional in pursuing a committed relationship with me. To her, that was a very profound and mature statement. She applauded me for my journey to self love. Yes, it's taken me four years to get here.

My type now is a man who is intentional in pursuing a committed relationship with me.

Our conversation comes at the height of dealing with a recent hurt. I actually had to confront the fact that a male had broken my heart. But I think that it was more of feeling humiliated than anything else. Whilst dealing with the guilt and shame, an epiphany struck me. I'm finally at peace with the one poltergeist that haunted me for a long time...Mr X.(Yes,him!) I can say his name without cringing. Actually, someone can talk about him and I don't even flinch. Oh yes, he's so yesterday like a pair of hipsters. I do say that from the bottom of my zen self.

I low key enjoy Ariana Grande's music! I absolutely love 'Thank you, next'. From the centennial songstress, the lyrics speak profoundly to me.  It's an appreciation of lessons learnt from past relationships. Oh my, I am a fascinating woman because of the males who came into my life. Not all males were negative. I previously highlighted about the 'ideal man' through experiences with the men that I interacted with. Single ladies, we are appreciating our exes as we prepare for the next...the ONE! Mr Put-a-ring-on-it!

Let me take you to church for a little bit. In the Bible there's the book of Esther. Esther, born Hadassah, was an orphan Jewish girl with an influential calling in her life. Her uncle Mordecai, advises her to apply to be king Xerxes' queen. Now in my head, I play this story like this. It was like a pageant, where all the women were fine with different qualities. They spent months being prepared to be presented before the Persian king. Esther was groomed, she had a makeover - hair, nails, and clothes. She was probably a five or six at the start but became an eight or nine after the boot camp. Then the day of the qualifications came, all the single, beautiful ladies strut their stuff in front of king Xerxes. But the one that caught the king's eye was Esther. She won his heart to the point when her divine purpose was meant to serve, the dude chose his wife's word over his advisor.

The lesson: Be prepared like the brownie motto.

I don't wish heartbreak or pain on anyone but if you go through it, it's a valuable lesson to learn. The  value of these lessons only come when you don't blame the guy for his shortcomings. You need to wear your big girl panties and acknowledge your contribution to the disintegration or non existence of your relationship, or situationship. At times the failure of the relationship is a reflection of dysfunctions one has to deal with. We all have issues, just ask Julia Michaels, but the question is, do you want to deal with them and grow? Pain is addictive, bitterness makes good company but is it really worth it? It took me a long while to realise my own dysfunctions when it came to Mr X. Funny enough, that dysfunction  continued with all the 'rebounds' after him. My mentor and uncle, are the two men who enlightened me about dealing with, and healing from that. I was stubborn as a mule, but eventually I budged. I didn't want to be mad as hell or bitter. My mentor taught me to believe that I deserved to be loved and treated well.

During my healing process, there was Sam and Tom and everyone else. Sam was patient. Tom was a gentleman. They weren't exes, just amazing guys who reminded me how a 'good' woman should be treated. And yes, QJ, and Summer Dream, both a breath of fresh air! I can sing along to the part, "One taught me love, One taught me patience," with confidence. As single ladies we need to appreciate the journey.

Some women are more fortunate than others, they don't kiss too many frogs before finding the one. Others, like myself, have to become a woman of substance to appreciate their Barack Obama. When you are not blinded by the scales of anger, pain or self loathing, you see clearer. When you have unpacked your baggage, you strut into the next relationship with only hand luggage. You are able to discern the demons from the angels and resist the devil so that he will flee. When you go through your journey, you are Esther, in preparation. You are preparing for something more meaningful. You are preparing for something out of the ordinary. You aren't just a basic chick!

'You burn, you learn' is my life mantra, and lyrics to Alanis Morissette's song. The point is that you acknowledge that fire burns, so you won't play around with it. Our assignment single ladies is to draft a list of the exes, even the one day stands. We create three columns with the headings: his fault, my flaws and lesson learnt. An example, I wrote, Sagittarius. His fault - immature, my flaws - tolerating bullshit, and the lesson learnt, do not be unequally yoked. It's not about being hard on yourself, or playing the blame game. It's introspection meets retrospect. You are looking inward to solve the exterior. The next part of the assignment is the 'forgiveness list'. One side of your page you write, 'I forgive myself for' and on the other side you pen down, 'I forgive him for'. Please do take your time with this exercise. The end goal is to find inner peace and create a positive outlook towards relationships.

As you practice this you will feel the load lift up from your shoulders. Practice does make perfect, and once you have perfected the art of letting go, there's space for 'him'. And believe me, you will know!

Let's get the microphone, and sing karaoke. "Thank you, next, Thank you, next...I'm so grateful for my ex!" Wink!

Until the next time, toss your hair, get your nails did, eyebrows on fleek, wear that freakum dress and recite, 'Still I rise'...

P.S. Always write your own love story!

Ciao!

Lady E 

Comments

Popular Posts

The Slow Burn

Stop trying to control everything and start experiencing the slow burn. Hello, single ladies! Comment ça va mes amies? "Je suis bien!   Gather around; today we are having coffee and tea. I'll get my dose of caffeine as usual. I'm so inspired by the previous article. The inspiration came from the last few paragraphs, where I wrote about the slow burn. I remember the movie, "I Want You Back." The character Emma tells Peter that he's attractive, and she would date him, despite the fact that he is a slow burner. And then Kacey Musgraves' "Slow Burn" starts playing in my head. ("I'm alright with a slow burn"). As I decided to rewrite the scripts for my "love story," the last part challenged me. Do you remember what Kat Valdez said in "Marry Me"? If you want something different, you have to do something different. So, you make a different decision. I thought long and hard about that statement. I believe that I'm ...

Script My Life: Marry Me

If you want something different, you have to do something different! Woo, Jennifer Lopez really grated the cheese on this rom-com but I love it! Yes, this Valentines day, J Lo reminds us of all our fantasies of what really love should be. Jenny has always been a girl who loves love. So art somewhat imitates life. Following her reunion with former fiancé, Ben Affleck, we are definitely seeing Jenny from the Block 2.0. Who knew that getting back together with 'the one that got away' two decades later would revive romantically in J lo? We all know that Jennifer loves to be booed up. She's been married three times, engaged five or six (I've lost count). I believe relationship experts would consider her a love addict. But that's none of our business! Just in time for Valentines day, a romantic comedy simply titled, "Marry Me". The stars Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, Maluma, John Bradley, Sarah Silverman, and Chloe Coleman. The movie opens with the title trac...

5 Inexpensive Dates in a Bad Economy

If he's making the economy an excuse, swipe left.... A guy who makes too many excuses whilst pursuing you is not worth your time. He will make excuses for not making time for you. More so, for not taking you on a date. A real man makes a plan...all the time! Yes, the economy is atrocious...a complete nightmare! Does that mean that humanity stops? Y'all,  we have procreation to continue until the end of time. A season of a recession, shouldn't hinder dates, relationships and the whole nine yards that come with that package. Couples over centuries overcame obstacles such as family feuds, classism, racism, tribalism, religious differences etc. They all found a way around those challenges. Any guy who uses 'in this economy' as an excuse is dropped like a pin. Honestly, such an individual lacks ambition and creativity. I want the flowers, chocolate, and the date. Otherwise...skrrr! You will have to show innovation in your pursuit. If you can't be strategic w...

Solo

Be the person whom you want to spend the rest of your life with. Porque eres el único cuerpo con el que estás atrapado para siempre ! With that said, it's good to have our feet back on solid ground. I can't wait for the  next trip ! Now ladies, we are dressing up for not just one, but several dates. Through our journey to  becoming , we are all about self-introspection and self-love. We are going on a solo date where we assess if we enjoy our own company, embrace our flaws, and seek to be better versions of ourselves.  Single ladies, bring your A-game with the wardrobe, face, body and most importantly, personality because we are putting our best foot forward. Put on your favourite outfit because we're going on a couple of dates with ourselves! Gentlemen, y'all invited to observe. A nous allez!  Date #1: Restaurant  I'm wearing a midi, nude pink, chiffon dress. I'm pairing the outfit with gold jewellery, and rose gold heels. I made a reservation at my favourite ...

Inspired By A Thread

Colour blind is ignorance when all you see is red... ...learn your colours! Oi, you lovely lot! Whaddup, 'ow's it goin'? I’m gettin’ there, innit? Just takin’ me time, you know how it is. A while ago, I scrolled down my timeline, and I came across an interesting thread on X. Actually the responses were wild, but it had me thinking, I would love my readers to share their own experiences. The question was as follows; What was the craziest thing that you've done to investigate a man? Fam, the responses in this thread are worthy of scripts. Don't play with a woman who wants the truth. She has better investigative skills than any intelligence agency. This led me - actually inspired me to share my own personal experiences. My life is so ironical. I like keeping my relationships on the low because my ego can't handle the humiliation if things don't work out. However, drama seems to ensue whenever I decide to allow a male into my space. Of late, I realised that I ...