Being single for eight months at 43 feels very different than being single at 23. Back then, being single was like a spontaneous city trip: fun, chaotic, and usually ending with a story you probably shouldn\u2019t tell your mother. Now it\u2019s more like a period of reflection and self-check-in. Time to rest, to heal, and to let go of everything that no longer serves me. And trust me, situationships were at the top of that list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For those who know the word but may recognize the feeling all too well, a situationship is not a relationship, but it is not a non-relationship either. It exists in that vague in between space where you text, share intimacy, and sense expectations, yet no one ever says out loud where you actually stand. It is too much to let go of, and too little to build on. It feels safe because there is no label, but quietly it takes more energy than you want to admit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not on dating apps. Not because I think I\u2019m better than that, but simply because I don\u2019t have the patience for it. I\u2019m 43, I have a 16-year-old son, a home I own, a car, and my own business. I can barely keep track of his football practices, let alone swipe through profiles of men who \u201cdon\u2019t know what they\u2019re looking for but might find it with me.\u201d No thank you. I have enough to manage already.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve noticed that some men can get intimidated by a woman who has her life together. It\u2019s as if my mortgage somehow challenges their masculinity. I see it happen sometimes: I say I run my own business, and suddenly they freeze, like a human screensaver. It\u2019s a shame, because I\u2019m actually fun to be around and I don\u2019t bite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But honestly, this is exactly why I don\u2019t fall in love as easily anymore. Being single teaches you a lot about yourself. You see your strengths, your boundaries, and most importantly, your value. I now know clearly what I want: a partner who is confident, grounded, and comfortable with a woman who has her life in order. Someone who appreciates that, rather than feels threatened by it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m at a stage in life where I no longer spend energy on people who are \u201cseeing where it goes.\u201d At 18, maybe that\u2019s fine. But at this age, we either know or we don\u2019t. And if you don\u2019t know, then I definitely know enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So no, I don\u2019t have time for situationships. I have time for quality. For genuine connection. For a man who doesn\u2019t back away when I tell him I have my life together, but instead thinks, \u201cThat fits perfectly with my life too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Until then, I\u2019m enjoying my peace, my freedom, and the life I\u2019ve built for myself. When love does arrive, I want it to be mature and real, grounded in honesty, balance, and mutual care. I want a partner who, as we grow older together, continues to choose the relationship we\u2019re building and invests in it fully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Love Jennifer<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Being single for eight months at 43 feels very different than being single at 23. Back then, being single was like a spontaneous city trip: fun, chaotic, and usually ending with a story you probably shouldn\u2019t tell your mother. Now it\u2019s more like a period of reflection and self-check-in. Time to rest, to heal, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ongecategoriseerd"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flexibleassistance.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flexibleassistance.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flexibleassistance.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flexibleassistance.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flexibleassistance.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=984"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.flexibleassistance.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/984\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":985,"href":"https:\/\/www.flexibleassistance.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/984\/revisions\/985"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flexibleassistance.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flexibleassistance.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flexibleassistance.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flexibleassistance.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}