Michelle McKinney Hammond - If Men Are Like Buses, Then How Do I Catch One?: When Youre Standing Between Hope and Happily Ever After

Yeah girl, its me again. I know you thought to yourself, Well gee, after writing What to Do until Love Finds You and Secrets of an Irresistible Woman, shes got to be fresh out of anything else to say to us about being single. Not! Ive always got something more to say, cause Gods always got something more to say.

Plus, the countless letters I received from readers of my first two books just added fuel to the fire in my heart to reach out to singles who were caught up in the struggle of trying to juggle a joyful life with the desire for companionship. We all know what the final goal is for most of usa God-given relationship with Mr. Oh-So-Rightbut how to get there in one piece is always the big question. Trying to find the answer can distract us from maintaining happy, healthy lives. Okay, listen up! It is important to note here that happiness is not a destination; it is a journey. Its all in the way you travel. Hopefully this book will make your sojourn a little smoother.

So lets talk a little about the trip: what to do, what not to do, and when to do (or not do) it. Lets get honest with ourselves, with God, and with whoever else counts. But most of all, lets get freefree to embrace each and every day of our lives whether we have a mate or not! Life is for the living, and you should be living it up.

So lets get down, get funky, get real, and get on with it! And when were finished, youre gonna be able to love like youve never been hurt and dance like nobodys watching. You know why? Because youre more fabulous than you know.

Michelle

I watched him as he casually
dropped it
This my heart
flicking it to the wind
like the ashes
of a cigarette that had lost its fire
I silently screamed
sensing the danger of pain
moving to rescue it
from its downward plummet
I sensed the lateness of the hour
Gone was the opportunity
to run from rejection
the die had been cast
the deed had been done
Without hesitation
without thought
so happy was I to find a willing candidate
to stand guardian over my love
I abdicated my post as the keeper of my heart
with no formal references
hiring an unworthy
unqualified stranger
Now sensing in afterthought
the value of that
which had been broken
the stinging realization
of what I had done
rivaled my disappointment
as my tears
washed away the last
shades of rose from my eyes
I realized
the blame was all mine
for I had left my heart
in the wrong place.

The L ORD God said, It is not good for the man to be alone

G ENESIS 2:18

I need a man, want a man, dream a man, eat a man, drink a man, want a man so bad I can taste the fulfillment of love, like cravings for a rich dessert, it haunts me even after Ive had a whole meal. I cant explain it, I just want it. I just really, really want a man.

Im lonely, so lonely I dont have to peel an onion to cry. So lonely that frustration has become my first name. So lonely that depression is my middle nameand Im gonna wallow in my desperation because Im lonelyand thats as good an excuse as any for sitting around and feeling sorry for the way my life is going.

Mama told me, Theres an owner for every cloth in the store. Well, Im ready to be bought. Ive been sitting here with the same pretty pattern on my face for a long time and Im beginning to fade, ya know? So my question is this, is anyone interested in a piece of fabric thats collected so much dust?

I have come to the conclusion that love is not a play, in my mind the true drama is that the only place a solo belongs is on an empty stage.

I have a confession to make. You might ask, Could it be more embarrassing than what you just shared? It all depends on how important honesty is to you. Although I am writing this book as an expert on contentment as an unmarried woman, I feel it is important to share with you that I was once a miserable single.

No kidding! you huff. Im glad youre not surprised. Though its impossible to ignore my lack of victory in the past, once I pressed past that difficult passage in my life, Im happy I never developed convenient amnesia about how painful being an unfulfilled single can be. It keeps me humble. It keeps me connected with realityand with you. If youre truly honest with yourself, while reading my intimate journal ramblings you were either saying, Po thang! or I can relate! Either comment leads us to the same question: How do we end up in such a state over a man?