I am a real fan of Jennifer Aniston. Really.
Ok. Maybe I’m biased. We seem to have a lot in common.
She has great friends. (Yep.) She likes being outside. (Oh yeah.) And at the beach. (You bet.) She travels significantly. (That too.) She has a job she loves. (Got that right.) She does a ton of fun things. (Uh-huh.) Enjoys life. (Roger that.) She’s loved and lost. (Well, yeah.) More than once. (Ok, that too.) She’s single. (Duh.) Enjoys her home. (For sure.) Likes things on the quiet side. (Truth be told.) But loves to laugh. (Yessssss.) And the list goes on.
It’s no wonder I’m a fan. I feel like a kindred spirit.
Here’s the thing about Jen.
Throughout the last decade, she has become the poster child for ‘the single girl.’
Here’s the other thing about Jen.
She makes me proud.
In a world of couples, it’s sometimes hard to be traveling ‘solo.’ Life wants you to think there’s something ‘wrong’, something ‘missing,’ something, quite frankly, lacking. (But only if you’re a single girl). I feel her. Battling a world that insists you’re ‘not okay’ is exhausting.
I told a friend of mine once (who is on round two of marriage) that I realized most of my ‘partnered’ friends said things like “I can’t wait for you to meet the right guy’ (like that is when life would begin)…that the solution to my seemingly lonely life were only to come from a man entering it. I had to laugh. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, I have been much lonelier in a relationship than out of one. (There’s nothing worse than someone who’s there…but not there, ya’ know?) Seems to me the lense is seriously clouded.
So while I stand the chance of sounding bitter, let me assure you this is not the case…nor the reason for this post.
I want to publicly applaud Jennifer Aniston.
She has held her head high (regardless of what is said) and set about enjoying her life and dealing with the ups and downs -just like the rest of us. She enjoys her friends, rocks a great career (and haircut), travels the globe and laughs a lot. (Not so bad for a single girl.) And while the rest of the world imagines that life hasn’t been good since – well, you know what – I beg to differ. I think it’s been an astoundingly good life and one that she has chosen, step by step.
It seems purposeful…with lot’s of laughter, plenty of love, and experiences that help her grow. It seems to be filled with healthy options, exciting adventures, and choices around every corner. But the best news of all is that she is not a victim -of anything. She gets to pick. And she does it well. (Contrary to public opinion.)
And that’s what keeps her moving forward in a really great life.
One step at a time. (Or, as a friend of mine so aptly taught me… pas à pas.)
Step by step.
So I say ‘you just keep on keepin’ on, girl.’ I couldn’t think of a better spokesperson for those of us lucky enough to be living a life so large that we get to choose our own path, in our own way, in our own time. I couldn’t think of a better representative – single or not – for someone who puts on her boots (cute ones, too) and steps out into the world with a smile on her face.
No. Matter. What.
Pas à pas.
Unthink this: Are you taking steps that keep you moving forward in a life you find easy to love?