Hi, I'm Justine. You're reading this because of three recent events: 1) I found a high school assignment of mine while cleaning out my closet. Maybe you've also written one of those letters to your future self? Well, mine told me I'd be married, I'm single, and have several kids, I have two cats; all by the age of 30, I'm 40. That's right 4-0. Single with two cats. I'm a "cat lady". Holy shit. When did that happen? Uh oh.
Let me just divert for a second, yes I know single women over 40 with multiple cats are in fact, "cat ladies", but my house does not EVER smell like cat pee. I know this. I have objective sniffers with strict instructions to alert me of stink. So far, all is fresh and I don't talk to my cats like their children or take holiday photos with them. So that just makes me a lady with cats, not a cat lady. Agreed?
Anyway, back on track. 2) I got a great new boss who braved the ominous threat of inappropriate workplace behavior and asked me why I'm still single. Not in a creepy way, but in a curious, incredulous way, which was pretty flattering. He told me a career is the worst spouse you could ever have. I think he's right, especially when I'm lying in my bed alone thinking about work. Grrr. And he's happily married with four children, for the record.
And 3) I heard a statistic on TV that went a little something like this: At age 25, a woman has about a 1-in-1,250 chance of having a baby with Down syndrome.
At age 30, a 1-in-1,000 chance.
At 35, a 1-in-400 chance.
At 40, a 1-in-100 chance.
At 45, a 1-in-30 chance.
Okay, time to accept I'm squarely in the middle of high-risk pregnancies, but perhaps not also high-risk relationships. I still think there's someone out there for me, I just haven't been paying attention. I date, but I'm picky...too picky. I'm in law enforcement administration and there's always a work project to conveniently interfere with my schedule. I work late. I'm busy. My career's important to me.
So 20 years go by. I have nearly as many bridesmaid dresses as Katherine Heigl, a great career, a nice condo and a good graduate degree. But it's still just me and the cats when I come home. I don't know if I can switch gears now and make finding love a higher priority than my career, but I'm going to try.
Is there anyone else like me out there? (Echo...)
Don't break my heart, subscribe! Or at least leave a love bite...
