Enough

So after my "bring it, dating world" post, I began thinking about the data points the single men on the market (who are worth dating and spending a future with) might also have. And wondering if I would live up to those standards. Like I said, "Divorcee with dog and no steady income"...doesn't really attract the men.

I would've never expected to be divorced, still not licensed in my field, and without a full-time job at this point in my life. I wouldn't have expected to be sleeping alone, spending holidays with friends and family instead of a man who holds my heart. I think as a child I would've pitied my current/then-future self. The outsider sees loneliness, a woman unloved.

If only I could tell her that her heart is worth treasuring. That the life she sees shouldn't be pitied, but aspired to - maybe lacking the divorce and adding jobs.

That life is worth living...fully...not just surviving.

That sometimes the road worth taking isn't easy, but that she has enough in her to make it through the rough spots.

That she should never let the fire, the strength, in her die. It is the sparkle that sets her apart. It should be cherished by herself and should be respected and cherished by the man who will someday hold her heart.

Those are the things I hope little girls growing up now know. They are the things I grew up being taught. And they are the things that, when faced with the possibility of a future of bad dates, remind me now that I am worth the work. I should be treasured, just as I will treasure the man who will have my heart.

I am enough.