Lay Off

Buckle yourselves in kiddies, you're in for one big rant.

It had been so long, that I was starting to think my family was over it. Then my sister had to go and blow it tonight. I was waiting for the cookies to get done, and during the down time I was playing a game with my cat. And my sister has to say, "you better hope you get married and have kids, or you're just going to be a cat lady".

Why does everything about me have to be defined by my marital status, or lack there of? It doesn't matter to anyone that I'm happy with where I am in my life. That it took me this long to be secure with who I am, and that I'm not dependent on someone else to define me. I'm successful, I'm in law school, I have friends (or at least people who pretend to be my friends). So why does it matter? Oh, and I'm only 25. You'd think the way they all talk, I'm pushing 50.

I'm so sick of rural, small town thinking. Everyone I graduated high school with is married with kids, about 75% of them still living in the town we grew up in. (yes, I know I'm here too, but it's temporary till I'm out of school) And there's nothing wrong with it, but it's not for me.

My brother-in-law has started telling people that I think I'm too good for them because I'm in law school. Where he gets that, I'll never know. He asks me to hang out with he and his firefighting buddies, who I don't know and have nothing in common with, and apparently refusing makes me too good for them. I'm sorry if I don't want to be the 5th wheel sitting around getting drunk and talking about things I know nothing about. It's the same way I don't think someone would be comfortable sitting around with all us law school peeps and hearing us gripe about that.

I'm just so fed up with it. I'm not even considered a "member" of my church, even though I've been a member there since I was 9. Cause far be it from anything to have a single woman in the church. All of my friends who are married get all the membership mailings, but I don't. I don't get the flyer telling me about upcoming activities, or the women's ministry. Because I don't count.

I just wish everyone would get off my back about it. It's not the worst thing in the world to be over 22 and not married. Just because I'm planning on having a career doesn't mean I've chosen it over having a family. And just because I hang around people with my same interests doesn't mean I think I'm better than those with different interests. I wish other people would quit taking out their insecurities on me.

That concludes this evening's ranting. You may now return to your regularly scheduled programming.