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

Single ladies: Wife material

MPV.....my point of view! Single Ladies: Wifen Material *Royal wave*Hey single ladies,your guide is back.The pursuit for Mr Put-A-Ring-On-It is on.Today I would like to make you a get-a-ring-on-it lady. Now following my articles,'Single Ladies Part 3',where I talked about the prince searching for a 'real princess',or 'Queen';and 'Brown Sugar',where the word 'brown sugar' was defined as wifen material,I would like to talk about 'wifey material'.(Whether we are that). How do we single ladies get that ring-on-it,you ask?By being wifey material.My uncle keeps on telling me,'If you want to become Mrs X,you should be a wife.You are a wife before he puts a ring on it'.What he means is that,a man will treat you the way you portray yourself.How,you ask? Ever noticed the difference between a wife and a girlfriend.Now let me break it down for you.A girlfriend usually,takes life in a more leisurely way;unlike a wife,whose focus is mo...

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 ...

Mother Dearest...Bitter Pill for Mother's Day!

There's no greater heartache than living life motherless. I'm wondering when I will finally rejoice and sing, 'The Storm is Over.' I've never been a good liar, this has been a very rough season. Finding hope in hopelessness is hard. Friends are few in the darkest times, doors are closed, and you feel as if your prayers are hitting a brass heaven; instead of God's ears. Sigh! Mothers day! I love how the commercial buzz around this day prompts many to dig deep into their pockets to repay their mothers. It's not just hallmark cards, but bouquet of flowers, fancy brunch or lunch dates, the huge grocery hampers, and more. Mum, amai, mama , went through a lot to make you the person you are, so she deserves you to give her the world. As one popular entertainer said, she is the one, and probably only person, who will pray for you and your wellbeing from the depths of her heart. Mother's Day is a day to celebrate and honour the women who brought us into this ...

Winter ABC Day 4: 3 Things that I Wish I Could Do Effortlessly

"I wish that  I was a bit taller, I wish that I was a baller," and we continue to wish. Everytime that I have watched Aladdin, I always imagined how much thought I had to put in my wishes. You have only three but the genpime requests to be free. What would you do? That's not our topic for today. In the previous blog, I shared the things that I would do for free. In this blog, I get a little vulnerable. I fair myself as a multi talented young woman. I have seen what I can achieve when I set myself to do something. I am very driven and won't take no for an answer. But if I do, I am working towards a yes. Please do try me! (Smiles) As multi faceted as I am there are still things that I wish that I could excel at. I believe that if I could do these things, I would be further ahead in life. These qualities would change my life financially as well as socially. Apart from wishing that I was 5 ft 6, what could I do better? I share with you, the three things that I wish ...

Winter ABC Day 1: Why Not Start?

"Accept challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory." - George S. Patton Challenge accepted! For the next thirty days in the month of June, I join a plethora of writers in a blogging challenge. The task is to blog every single day about an array of topics. If I'm a blogger and love blogging, where's the challenge? Oh my, where do I even begin. As I commit I will have to overcome the hurdle of high data charges. Currently I am not earning consistent income because I am part of 95% in my country. But I'm also a 'hustler' (wish it sounded as cool as it's meant to be.) I have a river of procrastination to cross because tomorrow isn't a Ronan Keating song. Tomorrow always comes and I put things on hold for tomorrow. And then last but not least, I need to be still during the storm of load shedding. So why do I want to commit to this challenge. The question I'm asking  myself whilst the blogs from this challenge fill up my timel...