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Dear Breakup Girl,

A year ago I broke up with That Guy for the umpteenth time. We were on and off for over four years. I assumed during those four years that sooner or later we would figure it out and get married, yadda, yadda.

I am done with college and out in the real world where eligible bachelors are not tripping over themselves to meet me. Whereas my biological clock is not necessarily ticking yet but with no Plan B lined up, I am only a few years away from having a better chance of being struck by lightning.

My best girlfriend (perpetually single and thrilled about it) says it is not in my personality (she is also a behavior specialist) to have a marriage and a yard and a picket fence and 2.2 children. But that is what I want! Everybody around me has this husband and these blond children and the family sedan, and I am so jealous! Should I try and take my girlfriend's advice and just give up the dream and buy a one bedroom condo and a sports car?

I wonder, will I ever be happy under those circumstances? I do not want to spend the rest of my life searching, and I do not want to spend the rest of my life wondering if I made a mistake either. Any advice, Breakup Girl? Do you know how to get a hold of the Lonely Bratwurst guy?

-- M.

Dear M.,

Forget what your friend said. I know she's a pro and that she's trying to help, but if you say that's what you want, then her assertion sounds like about as much hooey as that statistic about single women and lightning that you should also forget.

(And by the way, its companion "stat," the one about how you're more likely to be in a terrorist attack? Invented by...terrorists. Looking for dates.)

Now. Who said that buying a condo and car equaled "giving up the dream?" That sounds to me like living in the meantime. What are you supposed to do, curl up inside your hope chest with a hot pot and shower at the gym? Make the most of what you've got going on now -- a good call as an end in itself -- and you'll be least likely to wind up a phony statistic.

Love,
Breakup Girl

P.S. Thanks! And Chris, e-mail me if you want me to broker a deal.

Also:

Related BG rants:
The Single Thing
Are Singles Really That Picky?

Single Babes in Arms:
Enuff Already, Libby, MB, Lonely But Not Pathetic, and Worn Out Girl.

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