Mixed Emotions about Chad Millers 30th birthday

Yesterday I went to a party for Chad Miller's 30th birthday.  I love Chad, I lov parties, but I wasn't really expecting a party of 20-30 people mostly couples and a few kids.  It's odd how content you can be being single and then you go to a party that is nothing but couples and babies and new babies and expecting mothers and for crying out loud (as many of the babies did) you can't help but think, "Thank God I am still single!!!"

I realized that when people get married, especially newlyweds, or expecting mothers they stop talking about baseball and football and shopping and cooking, rather they start talking about the best diapers, how far apart in age their children are, and how they were suprised to find out they were expecting.

Single men and women talk about all their disposable income, their new cars, their careers, their favorite TV shows, For Love of Money, Last Comic Standing, the hottest new movies. 

Married people talk about their "young married's" bible studies, couples cruises, and each other. 

The crazy thing about this party is that I wasn't expecting it to be mostly couples, I wasn't expecting the young kids that were really, really cute, and most of all- I never would have expected to have such a great time being a single man in a room full of couples. 

All nightI never felt like I needed a significant other.  I never felt incomplete or inadequate.  I finally realized that I am growing up and that life has ti's stages, its moments, its season's for everything.   I used to let small gatherings like this one freak me out, I used to want to get married right away, I used to need to have 2 kids, a car, a house, a retirement plan- now I look at my life and thank God for the blessed moments of peace that I have to just spend time alone.  I thank him for the times when I need to just chill at home and read or watch Oprah without any distractions or interruptions.  I cook when I want, I eat when I want, I work out when I want.  I know the time will come when I will settle down and get married, but for now, I am not going to doubt this time for a single second.  I am not going to wish, or ponder, or hope, or fantasize about having that perfect family, that perfect wife.  Rather, I am going to marinate in the blessed serenity of few responsibities and commitments.  Movies 3 times a week, hot wings, pizza, road trips, dinners with friends, games with singles- it's a great time to be me...

An while I am waiting to have my own kids, I can always borrow somoene else's.  I can smile and laugh at married people's stories, I can listen and learn what to do and not do do in a marriage. 

Chad's party was great.  I had mixed emotions about it at the beginning, but in the end it was a really fun evening.  I am especially fond of Chad's Mom and Lisa's mom.  They are both such sweet women and I love just talking to them and their husbands.  They always ask the parental things like, "What are you doing now" and "where are you living".  Older Parents are always such a neat picture of stability and perseverance.  They seem to emanate a calm that only comes from years of "seeing it all".

 
Well, I have so much more to write about, but I don't want you to get in trouble at work, or to keep you from doing your homework or something more important- please come back soon.

I love you.