The Little House on the Prairie Effect... (lesson #4)

It seems to be the plague of hometowns, if you stay there, you will be getting married pretty fast. I think a lot of this is due to what I want to call the “little house on the prairie effect.” This theory states that since you grew up in a small town and intend to stay there… You pretty much know who the eligible singles are in your town. So just choose the best out of what’s available.

I have seen four such couples enter into “little house on the prairie effect” wedded bliss, and while usually the parents and in-laws are thrilled that little Johnny from across the street is marrying June… It only takes a month or two before the honeymoon glow is a distant memory. Not saying that all of these couples are unhappily married, actually a three of the couples are extremely happy… just make sure that your high school sweetheart is someone you will still love even if you were the only two people stranded in a 1870's or 1880's Minnesota farm town.

Standards and School... (lesson #3)

There is a classmate of mine who is really struggling with being single. She knows my track record with men, or lack there of, and asked if I thought her standards are too high. I laughed and asked her why she would ever think her standards are too high? She replied, “Well I’m not attracted to anyone at school and I don’t know if my standards are just too high.” I told my friend, “I don’t find anyone attractive here either, but I know my standards aren’t too high. It just means you know what you want.”

I must admit though, it can be pretty frustrating… I mean in a school of over 30,000 you would think there would be someone, but alas. I believe my new favorite phrase is:

Water, Water Everywhere, But Not A Drop To Drink

If you can't join 'em, do theatre... (lesson #2)

At the risk of sounding like a total moron, I am here to tell you how wonderful it is to be a theatre major. Lets address an obvious reason. I am twenty-one and have never been kissed… but I have had a lot of practice.

But being an actor I have the opportunity to kiss guy after guy with one GREAT bonus= No emotional baggage! You may find this impossible to believe, but a stage kiss is about as detached as physical contact can get, but I assume its pretty good practice for the real thing.

I remember my first stage kiss, I was playing Ariel in a high school production of Footloose. I was supposed to kiss Andrew. The boy I have known since the third grade and who had a crush on me for the majority of our elementary years. Now that we were in high school, Andrew had had his fair share of “girlfriends” and thought himself a pretty talented kisser. So backstage he came up to me and said, “well, do you want to do this now, or on stage with the whole cast watching?” Petrified, I said, “Just do it.” With those three words I pursed my lips together and stood like a statue. All I remember is Andrew’s massive lips attacking my face. Totally shocked I immediately stepped back and wiped the massive amounts of saliva Andrew’s “kiss” had left on my face. (I think I had to kiss around ten guys throughout my high school theatre career. And that just seems a little excessive to me. Personally, I think my theatre teacher found a little to much joy in seeing me out of my comfort zone).

Then this past year I had to kiss another fellow actor. I hadn’t kissed anyone since a production of Tom Jones my senior year of high school… so I figured just go for it. And I did. I can tell you things had come a long way since high school, but don't worry I wasn’t in love with the guy… I was ACTING!! After our kiss he turned to the whole cast and said I was a great kisser… (red flag #1). Then the whole run of the show he couldn’t stop hitting on me… (red flag #2). I finally had to explain to him that just because I could kiss, that didn’t mean I was in love with him. I was just doing my job.

Haha… oh jeez… “just doing my job.” That sounds so corny. Corny it may be, but it's true.

Can't Stop This Train... (lesson #1)

I was in the eighth grade. It was Sunday morning and one of the girls in the church was home visiting from college. I thought she was so cool. I mean, college, anyone who goes to college has to be cool, right? I was anxious to get the inside scoop so I began peppering her with questions. Were any of these questions academic? No. But I'll tell you what they were about: BOYS!

Do you have a boyfriend? Have you gone on any dates? Are the boys really cute? Are you getting married? The list goes on and on. This poor girl, she probably thought I was crazy. But she answer my questions. And the answer was no. NO?! I couldn't believe it. So I regressed. Have you ever had a boyfriend? --No. Did you date in high school? --No. Have you ever been kissed? --No.

Needless to say, these were not the answers I wanted to hear. So I spoke up, "Well, I am going to date A LOT in high school. And I WILL have my first kiss before I leave for college."

Famous last words. Haha. This memory is almost comical to me now. Can I just say that I am so thankful my parents didn't let me date until I was 16? By the time I was sixteen I wasn't willing to mess around with boys I knew I couldn't see myself marrying. Seeing my sister now dating I took it upon myself to give her one sisterly piece of advice:

Be careful when you decide to date, because one you've had a boyfriend it's hard to go back to being single.

Like the bible said, "It is not good for man to be alone." We are made to be in relationships. I believe the primary reason I have been able to love single life is because I don't know any different. Once I am bitten by the relationship bug, I highly doubt there will be any turning back. :)

Life Lessons Learned out of Singleness...

http://www.joe-ks.com/images/HeLovesMeNot.gif

It can be overwhelming, being single in your twenties. You leave high school thinking that the boys that have surrounded you your whole life will magically transform into men by the time college rolls around in August.

Once in college you realize the dreams of finding true love in your first semester are far from coming true. In fact, it becomes abundantly apparent that the vast majority of "men" in college, are just as "mature", as when they graduated high school. The next semester is spent in a state of panic, wondering if you are the secret ingredient to your unfortunate state of singleness.

Then something magical happens: You realize that it's okay to be single, in fact.... I have found it to be a blessing in disguise.

Thanks to the fact I have been single I have been to France, Italy, London, Panama, Mexico, and a good chunk of the U.S. I have attended four different Universities and one junior college. I have changed majors and minors. I have attended the British American Drama Academy. I was in a Shakespeare Festival.

I have been a bridesmaid three (going on four) times. I have watched my friend's marry the love of their life and I have seen them settle for second best. I have lived singleness my entire life. I have witnessed love as a bystander, and let me tell you, the view from here is unforgivably truthful. I have no rose-colored glasses to hide behind. I see relationships as they are, for better or for worse. It is with this priceless knowledge (I know, so humble) that I have chosen to bestow some pearls of wisdom on my few readers (but really for myself, since many of my readers are in healthy relationships).

With that said, be prepared for two weeks of passionate perspective and life lessons learned out singleness. Nag'em style.

Hang Ups...

Up until yesterday, my townhouse has been scattered with framed pictures, that had yet to be hung on the wall.

Well I finally decided to get some nails and borrow my roommate's hammer and set to work. I must admit everything came out rather nicely and my little abode is really quite adorable.

But this whole procrastinating to hang up a couple pictures feels kind of like life right now. I have been so busy that all I want to do when I get home is zone out. Therefore, everything else in my life has been like those frames sitting against the walls waiting to be hung up.

I realized what was happening, but it wasn't until two weeks ago that I decided it was time to get some stuff done. Here was my to-do list:

1. Spend time in the Word everyday (Those few minutes in God's word are so imperative to my relationship with God, as well as my outlook on life).

2. Stop watching Say Yes to the Dress and What Not To Wear (enjoyable, but honestly, a complete waste of time)

3. Do Something Fun (i.e. going to Redlands to hang out with old friends)

4. Go to sleep before midnight (sleeping from 1:30am-6am, is recipe for a cranky Megan)

4. Hang up those poor lonely pictures.

By the grace of God, I have been more faithful with all of these than I believed myself capable of. And let me tell you, I have been one happy gal lately. :)

Red Box...

Another one of Stanislovski's elements is Naivitee.

There is something vulrnerable, holy, pure, and innocent about a person who is naivee.  One of the verses in the bible I have been meditating on is,

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Matt. 5:8

I have always been more innocent than most of my peers, thanks mostly to my wonderful parents.  However, as I have grown up, I have realized that society (especially in America) doesn't value innocence.  It actually seems to be more of a character flaw than a virtue.  Therefore, I found it quite startling that an acting method would hold Naivitee in such high regard. 

That said,  the other night I went to a Red Box near home to rent the "Hannah Montana Movie"... (don't judge me).  As I went to select the movie there was a dad with his three elementry aged children standing next to me looking at the various movies Red Box had to offer.  

As I was silently making my choice I realized all the movies the dad was suggesting they rent were rated "R."  Not only that, the Dad was asking his CHILDREN'S opinion on other "R" movies!!  NOT ONLY THAT.... the Dad looked at me at one point and seemed to be proud that he was letting his children watch this garbage, like it made him "cool" or something!

I was dumbfounded.

As I took my copy of Hannah Montana and began walking to my car, it took everything in my power not to run back to that Dad and give him a piece of my mind. 

It is his job to preserve the innocence of his children for as long as possible!  His kids should be watching Hannah Montana not Friday the 13th or My Bloody Valentine!  He isn't doing his job!!!!

Oh I am so mad! 

I may sound like a prude, but that's how I feel...  MAD!