Love Letter to My Singles

Posted on by goldenlifemusings

I write this message to my golden life tribe on the eve of my 45th birthday. Reminiscent of my blog post from 7 years ago “Singleness is Not a Disease,” I am thinking of those for whom February 14th was not designed – singles. While I am incredibly grateful to have a partner to share my life with this year, my heart is still with those who may be challenged with thoughts and feelings of loneliness and isolation on this day. Transparently, that was me this time last year. 

But I want anyone reading this to know that no matter whether or not a human being ever chooses you as a partner, you are chosen, worthy, and loved. I pray you are encouraged by this message and going forward, you view this day with a fresh perspective.  

Dear Singles,

On this Valentine’s Day, I want to take a moment to celebrate you. While the world may flood you with messages implying that love is only valid when shared with a romantic partner, I want to remind you that your worth is not defined by your relationship status. Singleness is not a curse, a burden, or something to be fixed—it is a season, a gift, and an opportunity for deep growth and fulfillment.

I know how easy it is to feel out of place on a day like this. You scroll through social media, bombarded by grand gestures of love—roses, candlelit dinners, and sentimental captions. But let me ask you this: Have you ever considered that singleness is its own kind of love story? A journey where you get to discover yourself, deepen your relationship with God, and learn to love who He created you to be?

Society often treats singleness as a waiting room, a transitional phase where you bide your time until “real life” begins with marriage. But this could not be further from the truth. Your life is happening now, in this very moment, and it is just as meaningful, vibrant, and full of purpose as anyone else’s. There are places to explore, dreams to chase, and personal callings to pursue that are not contingent upon a ring on your finger.

If you’ve ever felt overlooked or less-than because you are single, let me remind you that Jesus Himself was single. Yet, He lived the most impactful life in history. His singleness was not a deficit but a testament to the wholeness that comes from a life rooted in divine purpose. You, too, are whole—right now, exactly as you are.

Embrace this time as an opportunity to grow spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. Strengthen your relationship with God. Nurture your friendships. Pour into your passions. Travel. Serve. Live. Instead of seeing this day as a reminder of what you lack, let it be a celebration of the abundant love already present in your life.

To my singles, you are loved. Not just by family or friends, but by a God who calls you His own. His love is unwavering, unconditional, and fulfilling in ways no human relationship ever could be. You don’t have to wait for someone to buy you flowers or take you to dinner—do those things for yourself. Treat yourself with the same love and care you would a significant other.

This Valentine’s Day, I hope you feel cherished. I hope you walk in confidence, knowing that your worth is not tied to a relationship but is rooted in who you are as a child of God. I hope you love yourself fiercely, knowing that your story—whether single or married—is beautiful, valuable, and purposeful. 

With all the love in the world, 

Leslie
For more golden life ventures and to purchase from the Golden Life Gear “For the Singles” collection visit www.goldenlifeventures.com.

Lessons in Gratitude

Posted on by goldenlifemusings

Talking about gratitude never gets old for me. Here’s why. It’s essential for joyful living. And who doesn’t want to live with joy?

We just entered the true fall season here on the East Coast of the United States. It happens to be my second favorite season of the year. The reason that it’s not the first is primarily because of the loss of daylight hours. It’s the sun for me, or rather lack thereof. While it’s really one thing that keeps this season from being in first place, it has been significant enough for me to secretly dread the season. And where there is dread, there is no joy.

Having been on this intentional gratitude journey for some years now and seeing the wonders it has done for my mood and overall disposition, I decided to apply this same intention to how I felt about the change in seasons. Here’s what I learned.

  1. By focusing my attention on what I loved about the season –  the beauty of fall foliage, the soothing satisfaction of warm beverages, the comfort and style of fall gear – I shifted my perspective. The perspective shift brought a new level of joy to this season that I hadn’t felt before.

2. As I made a conscious decision to express gratitude for the people and things around me in this season, the more there was to take delight in and savor. It’s as if I began to see with new eyes. 

  1. When I choose to be fully present in each moment and experience and find something to be grateful for in all of them, there is an abundance of joy that I can find in the darkness as well as the light.

As you experience this fall season, whether it is your favorite or not, I encourage you to consider adding intentional gratitude into your daily routine. You might just learn some lessons of your own that you can carry into the next seasons and beyond.

For more golden life ventures and musings visit www.goldenlifeventures.com.

Being Selfish

Posted on by goldenlifemusings

I had a “Lessons in Gratitude” post all planned out. Thankfully, a retreat I attended interrupted my regularly scheduled programming.

We can make our own plans, but the Lord determines our steps.

Proverbs 16:9
This season of my life is driven by these words – “Listen. Trust. Obey.” This blog post is an attempt to honor the Holy Spirit’s directive.

I attended this retreat because 1) a wonderfully gifted girlfriend posted it on her social media and I knew whatever she was involved in was going to be amazing. And 2) candidly, it’s been a challenging season. I felt the spirit nudge me toward it because I desperately needed it. I believed it would be soul-nourishing, refreshing, and replenishing and indeed it was.

From my conversations with people from all generations, backgrounds, and genders lately, I’ve heard and felt a spirit of heaviness. And yes, even as an abundant life enthusiast who exudes peace, joy, and light, I can honestly say that I’ve felt this heaviness personally. So when the promotion for this retreat promised a day filled with intentional self-work, radical self-care, and revolutionary self-love, I said inwardly, yassss sign me up!

Our facilitator Jessica welcoming and introducing us to being SELF-ish’

There were many beautiful aha moments and nuggets that I took from this experience. I get the title of this retreat may be deceiving (I’ll get to that in a minute). But, immediately upon surrendering myself to the moment, I knew I wanted to pay it forward. Share all the yummy goodness that I received from it with my beloved tribe.

Of course, there is nothing like the power of experiencing something for yourself. But, let me share a few insights with you that I hope will have power for you, nonetheless.

In a vision book exercise facilitated by my friend Michelle McKinney who spoke at the event, I was instructed to look at all the roles I take on and operate in. Business owner, ministry leader, volunteer, travel consultant, public relations consultant, friend/family member, etc. (there’s a whole list chile). I realized the majority of these roles involved me giving a lot of my time, attention, and focus (thus, myself) to others. And that is not a bad thing. But, it wasn’t until I read her example role of self-caretaker that I realized I wasn’t on my own list of priorities. No wonder I felt so depleted. 

My beautiful friend Michelle who gave an incredible workshop on vision casting.

If you are someone like me who often tries to pour from an empty cup, I have news for you. Your love and care for yourself need to be prioritized too. And I don’t just mean setting aside time for physical rest or pampering yourself with massages and pedicures here and there. Although those things can be a part of an amazing self-care regimen. I mean intentionally looking at yourself as a priority and asking, “what is it that I need to be and live out the best version of me?” Then make a commitment to yourself to do those things…consistently. 

It was a year ago that I first did this exercise with Michelle’s Vision Playbook. (By the way, be sure to get yours, it’s amazing!) Clearly, I needed to be reminded of how important that CONSISTENTLY part was. I also had to recognize that as I grow, my challenges will manifest at the level of that growth. That means I have to be prepared to reevaluate what my self-care looks like regularly. Hence, the beauty of this retreat. The most powerful nugget I received was recognizing what this next level of caring for myself can and will look like.  

As each person’s life and journey are uniquely different, I can imagine the myriad revelations that came out of this experience. But I’ll close with a few quotes and insights that encouraged me and supported my empowering aha moments. My hope is that at least one, if not all, will resonate with you in some way.

  1. If I release the spirit of “should” and “have to” and replace them with “could” and “want to,” I can operate from an entirely new perspective that motivates and excites me.
  2. Be yourself. Face yourself. Pace yourself. Healing starts within.
  3. Everything I’m looking for is within me.
  4. Setting boundaries and telling people no is not negative. It gives someone else another avenue and opportunity to be creative and make something happen for themselves.
  5. Trust yourself and be kind to yourself.
  6. Self-care is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. Self-care is about taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress.
  7. Be patient with yourself and give yourself grace.
  8. Wellness is my birthright!
  9. You are better off than you think you are.
  10. Whenever you’re doing the work growth is happening (whether you see it or not).