Valentine’s Day was always full of so much love in my house growing up. For me, it meant waking up early to a magical basket full of goodies left on my bed by my mother, or, the mystery Holiday fairy I believed in for much of my childhood.
In elementary school, I would wake up to a big heart-shaped box of candy and a teddy bear. As a preteen, the basket was full of candy and teen fanzines full of my preteen crushes. (At that time getting an 11” x 17” poster of your favorite boy band was #GOALS.) In high school, the basket was more mature; a bigger box of chocolate, perfume, and a special piece of jewelry.
I say all this to say I am ABSOLUTELY NOT the single, bah humbug girl that hates Valentine’s Day. In fact, I love Valentine’s Day and all holidays. I’m an active and willing participant.
Great, now that we have that part clear, can we please remove the cynical lense from which you will likely view a post written on Valentine’s Day by a single woman?
Fantastic, moving on.
We’re here, in the wake of another “lonely” but certainly not sad Valentine’s Day. Whether you’re willing to admit it or not, this holiday forces you to think, question, or wonder why you DO NOT have a Valentine. However, the amount of life you give that question typically determines how you feel about the day as a whole. I don’t give the question too much life because I think I know why I’m single.
Obviously, God is not done preparing the PERFECT man for me. Buuuuuut also… I’m picky. At least that’s what people tell me. “Ashley, you’re too picky!”
I usually meet that comment with my normal eye roll and a fake chuckle. I’m so used to hearing it now that I’ve actually thrown out my entire defense. I’m sad to admit that as much as I hate that “picky” label, I just quietly accept it. I’m told my tastes will mature as I get older. I won’t care about things as frivolous as clean sneakers or how he says goodbye when he hangs up the phone.
But for me, the less important traits I find in a person usually serve as a warning sign for issues I will end up having in the long haul. The “small things” that others consider as frivolous connect back to potentially larger issues for me.
For instance,
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He needs to get his haircut once a week.
“Ashley, you’re too picky!” Why? Because I like a well-manicured man? What’s wrong with wanting my guy to maintain his haircuts or line ups on a regular basis? It’s a personal preference- I like a man to look neat. But outside of my personal preference, I would expect any man of mine to prioritize taking care of himself. If you can’t take 30 minutes a week for your upkeep now, it may be something that falls completely to the wayside as we age. It’s not the haircut, it’s the principle behind it. I’ll say it again, I like a well-manicured man.
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He must keep his car clean.
“Ashley, you’re too picky!” Cleanliness is next to Godliness. If his car isn’t clean, I swear to God I don’t want to see his home. Ask any friend I have, a dirty car will send me the complete opposite direction. A dirty car to me is a warning sign. A warning sign that he doesn’t take care of the things he relies on or the things he spends good money on.
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If he wants to be with me, he should be with me. He shouldn’t need to ”see where this goes”
“Ashley! You’re too picky, just go with the flow.” With what flow? He wants all the benefits of a relationship but won’t commit? No, no, I’m not being straight edged or avoiding the flow, I’m recognizing an early warning sign. I like a decisive man and one who knows how to commit. To be honest, most men know how to commit. They keep the same barber for 15 years and are loyal to their favorite sports teams through thick and thin.
I could go on for hours rattling off a bunch of traits my next guy must have, but I’m sure many of you readers would find another way to say… “Ashley you’re too picky!”
I hope this doesn’t sound deep because you’re here reading it on this blog, but I do hope I’m delivering it as matter of factly as I actually mean it. We are all picky to a degree. And sure, there are definitely people who are too picky. But I’m not one of those people. I do not use it as a defense mechanism to stop me from dating someone new. I just listen to my gut and pay attention to the small details.
So for now, the next time I hear the phrase, “Ashley, you’re too picky!” I’m testing out a new response: Maybe I’m not picky, maybe you’re just a settler. You can keep your hairy boyfriend and his dirty car.
This Post Has 10 Comments
Zurielyp
14 Feb 2018Love this post! I’m the ‘picky’ friend as well but what can I say, I know what I want! Glad you refuse to settle! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Ashley Weatherspoon
14 Feb 2018Let’s raise a toast to the Picky Friends…..lol Hey, we wear our label well! 🙂
Domineka
14 Feb 2018Omg, I can relate to this post so much, I’m very picky when it comes to dating, but to me it’s a good thing, It means your not willing to settle and you know exactly what you want.
Ashley Weatherspoon
14 Feb 2018🙂 I’m glad you do, that means I’m not alone. lol I agree with you, I just hope that it doesn’t prevent us from meeting someone who is otherwise… "perfect". :
Finesse
3 Mar 2018Wow!!! I had to read this 2x
Jamie
25 Mar 2018I agree that you’re probably too picky. But it’s not for the reasons that you outlined in this article. You want a tall, wealthy, semi-famous man (maybe you can do w/o the fame.) YOU DATED JR SMITH!! lol JR SMITH!
Btw, men don’t live with their barbers or their favorite sports teams.
Ashley Weatherspoon
26 Mar 2018Jamie, you are right about 2 things in your comment.
1. Height & Wealth are attractive as fuck, Find me 10 women who will not agree.
2 I can certainly do without the fame.
Good job there Jamie. Good job.
What does JR Smith have to do with any of this other than you got to throw out the singular detail about me? lol Congrats you were able to comment the one thing everyone in the world knows about me.
Jamie
6 Apr 2018JR Smith shows that this list is straight bullsh**. You like TALL, WEALTH, and SEMI-FAMOUS (Again, you can probably do w/o the fame). JR Smith is one of the most immature people I have ever seen. If he didn’t play sports, he’d be a complete loser. He can barely speak or hold a conversation. Yes, I have spoken with him before. He’s damn near a buffoon.
So, me saying you dated JR Smith is not to bring up something that every one knows. It’s to point out what you are REALLY attracted to. JR Smith is nutcase. That’s why he left you the way he did b/c he’s a self-centered, imbecilic nutcase. But since you are attracted to TALL, WEALTH, & SEMI-FAMOUS, you overlooked all of the BS that comes with JR. And you’ll do the same with another man.
In case you don’t know what I am driving at, let me be clear: THIS ARTICLE IS BULLSH lol You should have said, "If the guy is tall, wealthy, and semi-famous, I’d take him. I don’t care about a haircut, the tidiness of his car, or him getting to know other women while we date." If you are claiming to keep it real, keep it real, baby lol Quit with all of this bullsh!
Jamie
6 Apr 2018JR Smith shows that this list is straight bullsh**. You like TALL, WEALTH, and SEMI-FAMOUS (Again, you can probably do w/o the fame). JR Smith is one of the most immature people I have ever seen. If he didn’t play sports, he’d be a complete loser. He can barely speak or hold a conversation. Yes, I have spoken with him before. He’s damn near a buffoon.
So, me saying you dated JR Smith is not to bring up something that every one knows. It’s to point out what you are REALLY attracted to. JR Smith is nutcase. That’s why he left you the way he did b/c he’s a self-centered, imbecilic nutcase. But since you are attracted to TALL, WEALTH, & SEMI-FAMOUS, you overlooked all of the BS that comes with JR. And you’ll do the same with another man.
In case you don’t know what I am driving at, let me be clear: THIS ARTICLE IS BULLSH** lol You should have said, "If the guy is tall, wealthy, and semi-famous, I’d take him. I don’t care about a haircut, the tidiness of his car, or him getting to know other women while we date." If you are claiming to keep it real, keep it real, baby lol Quit with all of this bullsh**!
Inga Kubie
1 Jun 2019I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own weblog and was curious what all is needed to get set up? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I’m not very internet smart so I’m not 100 certain. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. Kudos