Felicitations on this, the thirty-third day of my birth.

I was probably 11 or 12 when I first heard Mark Lowry tell this joke.



And I don't particularly know why, but it has stuck with me all these years. Maybe because it's funny, which it is. Maybe because it seemed like a logical dividing line. Before and After.

The thing is, I don't mind being single at 33 (which I am today). When I was younger, I told my parents that I would probably be single the rest of my life. It was in part a lament, because getting married and having kids was just what you did. But it was also partly a feeling that that path was not one I would walk. And I'm not discounting the possibility (though the older I get, the less likely it is) because far be it from me to refuse something that God has ordained.

But I'm really just Not Interested. I like the single life. I'm responsible for exactly one person. I answer to myself, and I answer to God. (A little to my employer, but that's because as a person, I have decided that a work ethic and respect for my employer is a thing that should happen.) I can't even imagine rearranging my life right now to accommodate another person.

So why are we talking about this? Because now that I've reached the dividing line, I'm not really sure what comes next. What does navigating the rest of my life as a (probably) single adult look like?

I don't know. But I'm excited to find out.