A single thirtysomething friend recently told me about their increasing sense of isolation. “All the people I used to hang out with, five years ago, are now married,” she lamented. “I no longer have any friends.” Apparently, when some people get married, they no longer hang out with their single friends. Something shifts in our […]
Surviving Singledom
Issues relating to my book and to the broader challenges facing Christian singles
Singledom – Or the Social Leper Syndrome, Part 2
A moment of inspiration After an agonising few years of self-doubt and frustration, it slowly dawned on me that maybe I was not alone. Maybe there were other Christians in their late twenties like me, unhappily single, alone, looking for support. Maybe there were resources out there for such singles and I just needed to […]
Singledom – Or The Social Leper Syndrome, Part 1
I got married a little later in life. Ok, it wasn’t actually that late. I was twenty-nine years old. I can already hear the disbelieving laughter. “Twenty-nine? Come back and talk to me when you are fifty and still single!” I know, right? I am aware that, compared to most of society, twenty-nine does not […]
The Waiting Room
I spent this morning in a waiting room. Not coz I had nothing better to do. And not coz there was anything wrong with me. Thank you kindly for asking. It was for my cat. Yes, the things you do for love. While I was waiting for my cat to be seen, I got thinking […]
How I Wrote A Book
A lot of people ask me how I wrote my book, Surviving Singledom. The question comes up quite often at book signings in particular. So I thought I would share how Surviving Singledom came into existence in five easy steps. Disclaimer: All I can tell you is what I did. It worked for me. It […]
Book on a Mission
She walked through the doors of Koorong and approached us. A familiar face. No name leapt to mind, but I knew I knew her. She smiled a shy smile and said she had previously purchased a copy of my book. “That’s right!” I exclaimed, recognition dawning. “How did you go with the book?” She told […]
Pick Up The Slack
Single and childless people – anyone, really, who does not have children – are often asked to do more, simply by virtue of their circumstances. Parents get flexible work options. They can amend their hours, leave early, and switch their commitments around. They have to be there for their kids. While this is understandable and […]
Resigned
I am really looking forward to the next Koorong book signing. I meet the most interesting people at book signings. They tell me their stories and we have a laugh. Sometimes we shed a tear for the saddest stories. Every now and again, someone tells me a story that sticks in my mind. At my […]
Too Picky?
A reader recently commented on one of my blogs about singleness, saying they were told to just pick someone and marry them because “anyone will do”. They were told, unbelievingly, to stop being so fussy. This story struck a chord with me. During my painfully single twenties, I was regularly asked if I was “picky”. […]
Surviving Valentine’s Day
Red roses. Fluffy teddies. Umpteen love hearts on social media feed. Yep, it must be Valentine’s Day. I had a lot of trouble tolerating Valentine’s Day when I was single. And it was not just the pointless commercialism. It was the unsubtle message that you have to be admired by someone to be a worthwhile […]