Single sisters: How ladies can make singleness more pleasant

     With the approach of Valentine's day and couples forming all over the place, it can be a lonely time of year for us single ladies. I mean sure, we are confident, beautiful women who don't need guys to give us value or significance, but sometimes there are moments where we observe the bliss and fun the "taken" girls have with a twinge of longing. So, instead of self-medicating with bulk chocolate and love movies that you vicariously live through, here are some tips to get you and your other single sisters through this season while feeling encouraged and hopeful that single or dating, married or not that we're all loved and worth while.

1) Send a friend a love reference letter <3
    I got this idea the other day as I was thinking of a friend of mine currently caught in an unrelenting infatuation with the guy of her dreams. Although the torment of a good crush can occupy your giggles and thoughts, there are moments where any lady starts to doubt-- maybe she's not the one that he's looking for. While I was thinking about how awesome she was, I decided to write her a letter telling her all the qualities that I see in her. A girl needs to hear that she is beautiful and that she is worth being sought after and admired. I imagined that I was telling her future prince charming why she is worthy of his affections. You can format it like so...

            To whom it may concern,

                        My dear friend so-and-so is so brilliant and amazing that you should man up and see how great she is. Really, she is the sweetest person ever and will always keep you laughing with that amazing sense of humour of hers. If you knew her like I do, you'd never want to let her go. She has the sort of beauty that is timeless and a heart to match. Here are the top ten reasons why I love knowing her myself...

See, it's that easy. When you're feeling alone or if you find yourself with some time on your hands, go and encourage the single ladies around you. I don't care if you're dating or married, encourage away to those who need to hear it. Even the most confident and lovely of ladies can feel pretty empty and hopeless at times. You can send this in a facebook message or an e-mail or go crazy and write a letter, seal it with wax and spray it with nice smelling stuff. Whoever gets such an encouragement would love it!

2) Go bless some people who need it!

     Last Valentine's day some friends of mine invited me to go hand out home-made cookies to some folks in downtown Vancouver. It was SO much fun! We got together anything we could think of that homeless people could use. It doesn't have to be extravagant, but just getting out there and seeing people who have more to worry about than whether they're going to meet the man of their dreams can put your mind back in the right place. There are so many people out there who don't have anyone. They deserve to be loved just as much as the next person and even something so simple as a cookie can make these cold, wet, Vancouver days a little brighter.

3) Girls Night Out

      Ladies, we all love them and now is as good a time as ever! I know that scheduling can be difficult sometimes but this is a great way to have fun, to feel pretty and enjoy life. Whether going to dinner and the movies or staying in and doing nails, this can be a nice break from school or work or unrequited woes. One HUGELY important thing though, if you tell a friend that you are coming to her gathering, GO! Or at least give her good notice if you can't make it. She's probably working hard to make sure you'll have a great evening and it REALLY sucks if you think ten people are coming and only one person shows up. Don't ruin another girl's night. We single sisters have to stick together.

4) Have a girl friend date night.

      I'll never forget one time that my sister declared, "I wish I could just go ahead and be a guy for one week to show guys how to treat ladies on dates." This was following a conversation we had about how many girls out there had such rotten dating stories. Not all guys, but a fair sum, have left girls feeling insecure and hurt over the course of existence. Most of the ladies reading this have probably had at least one bad encounter with a guy, or perhaps know of others that have. So, for single sisters tip #4, roll up your sleeves ladies and give a friend a smashing date. It can be your sister or friend or cousin, it doesn't really matter who. You can take them out or you can each take each other out, but the point is that you treat the other like a lady. Dress up, open the doors, pay the bill (or split it, it's up to you). I envision showing up at the door looking classy (bonus points if you wear a fedora and suspenders) with some flowers and chocolate or a little gift, whatever is within your imagination and means to do for your friend. It would be a lot of fun and a great way for single ladies not to be left behind while the daters and married ones get all the good times.

5) Jane Austen Tea Party... naturally.

      I'm sure I'm not the only person out there who imagines having a tea party with friends over a good run of the Colin Firth "Pride and Prejudice" movie as an ideal use of time. Jane Austen has written some pretty awesome books and there's a lot of good movies out there with those stories therein. If you don't have an entire day to watch the BBC "Pride and Prejudice," other good ones include, but are not limited to "Persuasion," "Jane Eyer," and "Sense and Sensibility". Making cookies or little sandwiches cut into little triangles is a good edition. Also consider using a real tea set, maybe dressing up nice. OOH, and talking in British accents whilst performing the niceties surrounding tea. The tea is also of importance. My favorites are Red Rose, Earl Gray, English Breakfast, Honey Vanilla Chai but there are so many great teas out there that you are sure to enjoy whatever you go with. As a word of caution, some Jane Austin movies can leave single gals thinking that they will never find a Mr. Darcy of their own. This is true since he is a fictional character but regardless, if one or both of the parties is particularly fragile for chick flicks, by all means sip your tea while watching "Inception" or something. Or forgo movies all together and get a great game of scrabble going. Again, it's up to you.

Anyways, I'd better get back to studying. It has been a pleasure spending this bout of procrastination with you, spreading some ideas on how to make singleness more pleasant. If a guy has chanced upon this blog, take what you can and make sure you treat the ladies around you with respect... help them to feel beautiful in a world that's constantly saying they aren't good enough. As for you ladies, remember that you are made by God with love and that jumping into relationships just to take the loneliness away won't solve anything, you need to be happy on your own before you throw a guy into the equation. Keep loving and encouraging each other! Don't limit these ideas just to February, be spontaneous and cordially invite a galfriend out! Post any other awesome single sister activities you know of and your stories of how it went :) Toodles until next time :)