Embracing Spinsterhood

Recently I was told by three women who are near and dear to my heart, (mother, and 2 best friends) that I am quite a catch. Really? Really. I find this statement quite interesting because I have yet to be caught. The longer I go not being caught, whilst watching many of my female friends starting relationships, getting engaged/married, having babies and so forth, I wonder... have I not been caught because I'm too hard to catch or because I'm not suppose to be caught? I kept struggling with that point and it was frustrating me. Today I saw the word spinster and thought shit, that is what I am turning into, a spinster. After a few moments of pondering this, I realized, that isn't a bad thing. I'm 42, childless, independent, driven, intelligent, intellectual, creative and damn it can make a mean tart. I'm pretty damn awesome and it's too bad that someone, other than the women in my life, hasn't figured it out. Rather than mope on the fact, I've decided to take my awesomeness to the next individual, independent level and embrace the fact that I am a spinster. Sing it out loud sister!

Normally the word spinster would be taboo because the spinsters of yore aren't the same as the ones today, yet people still continue to understand the term as it was originally meant. This is the traditional meaning of the word spinster. "A spinster (or old maid) is a woman or girl of marriageable age who has been unwilling or unable to marry, therefore has no children. Socially, the term is usually applied only to women who are regarded as beyond the customary age for marriage, and is generally considered an insulting term, more degrading than the term "bachelor" for males. While men can continue to have children into their 70s or 80s, women generally become less and less able to bear children as they get older. So the term "old maid" is only applied to women who are past a child bearing age but have never married." In some ways a spinster today isn't the same and in other ways it is, and even with today's standards I am now considered a spinster. Yes it is 2008, I am still considered at 42 unmarriable. Sounds a little harsh, yes, but it is actually quite true. Men my age rarely want to marry someone their own age. They require a younger model with the options of reproduction. (I guess they haven't heard that women can still bear children until their mid 50's). Ok, so be it, but they also don't realized those younger models will also be in their 40's one day.

I'm not going to lie, this still makes me a wee bit sad. But, rather than spending wasted energy on the fact that I am a spinster, I am actually going to embrace it. Every family has one spinster aunt. That gets to be me. I've always been an individual, the odd ball out in my family, so it is fitting.

Welcome to the spinsterhood, I am going the wear the title with pride!!!