Where's Waldo?

I've always hated those books. Pages and pages of the impossible task of finding ONE person in overly-populated locations: the beach, the mall, the park. How the illustrator got the idea of stuffing 100 people into a restaurant is beyond me. But I hated them. Searching every gap and every open space for just a glimpse of a red-and-white striped sleeve. And when you do finally find him, it's almost an unfair game: "He's only showing half of his body! How was I supposed to find that?!" Or the feeling of defeat when you thought you saw him, but it was just a little girl in a ski lodge: "She has a red-and-white stripped scarf."

The more I thought about Waldo and his mind-games, the more I thought about the Single Gal's very own "Where's Waldo?" game playing in her life. Where is he? HIM. The One. Standing next to the hot dog stand? On the ferris wheel? Are we really required to turn pages and pages of locations, trying to find this one guy with horrible fashion sense and a ridiculous hat?

There are women out there who will stop at nothing to find their husband. They will date until the sun goes down...hoping that when they wake up, Mr. Right-Now will still be in bed. Sometimes they will marry the first bozo who comes along. Sure, most of the time it's true love, but some of the time it's truly pathetic. But I don't blame them. How else are we supposed to play the cards we've been dealt without any clues or any lifelines to use? We get one shot. One life where we spend most of the beginning of it trying to find a mate. Now, I'm thinking about March of the Penguins. But I've got to give those little guys some credit; ALL of them are black and white. Their Waldo could be any of them.

As a young woman of 24, who has been in the game/watched the game/thrown lampshades at the game, I feel like it's time for a Game Changer. It's time for someone to step up to the plate, or step into the arena, or step onto the court with different rules in her hands. What if finding Waldo isn't the top prize anymore? What if you do something else? Something that will lead Waldo to you? Something that will make Waldo leap out from behind the concrete statue, or from behind the water fountain, or run out of the cafe at the train station. Something bold, something brave, something, dare I say, very few, if any, women do: TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. You. You. You. One single rule. Instead of pining over this lost man, you'll go swim in the ocean...maybe butt-naked because it's on your bucket list. Or ride that scary rollercoaster with your best friends. Or sit and have a picnic in the park with your niece. You'll let other "Where's Waldo?" players delve deeper in despair because he's is no where in sight. But you don't have to worry. You have your rule. The one rule in life's game that you're sure to win, because, hey, how can Waldo resist irresistible YOU?

Women of the 21st Century: The Extraordinarily Ordinary Woman, The Attractive Nerd, The 35-Year Old Fiancee

Our female society has reached new heights! We have created larger and more beautiful mountains to climb! And move! Many before us have envied the females who can bring a king to his knees with just the flick of her wrist. So long are the days of the stereotypical cheerleader who rules the schools -- or the days of Mediocre Molly waiting around for her day in the sun -- or the days pining over lost loves and hoping our Prince Charming will come save us from a broken heart. I do declare: Goodbye girls of the 20th century and make room for the women of the future:

The Extraordinarily Ordinary Woman - Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
All right, so maybe it was only the female population that cared about the Royal Wedding, but it has to be said, it is truly a fairytale story. The story of a typical upper-middle-class, History of Art major from Berkshire, England who captured the heart of the most eligible bachelor in Britain. Oh wait...THE WORLD. None of us really know what truly happened but watching those E! Behind the Relationship segments and Hallmark original movies tells us that Kate was simply herself. She was seemingly just like every one of her classmates but somehow Prince William found something special in her. As did the rest of the world. It's rare to see a woman who takes on responsibilities far beyond her control and yet still carry herself with grace and beauty. She is the world's illlustration of the statement "be true to yourself and follow your heart." She has no specific talents (she doesn't sing, dance, or juggle ceramic plates) but she has the incredible ability to be her ordinary self. And that's just extraordinary.

The Attractive Nerd - Rachel Sterne, Chief Digital Officer of New York
Voted one of the most influential women in technology in 2011, Rachel Sterne has earned every accolade from innovator to brainiac. All the articles about this 28-year old tech-goddess discusses her accomplishments like founding a citizen journalism site with only a bachelor's degree in History and French. Even without a Master's degree she teaches at the prestigious Columbia Business School in addition to her duties to the government as the City's first Chief Digital Offer. Yoqzers. This girl is on fire. One article matches her beauty with her brains and names her the "hot" new CDO. Who would have thought that the word "attractive" and "nerd" could be used to describe a woman? Education, brains, street sense have all become more and more attractive on the modern woman. Being intelligent, being well-versed, accomplishing goals -- all of these things are no longer setbacks but credentials to being a successful and worldly woman. We can thank Sterne for giving us faith that Hermione Granger may exist after all.

The 35-Year Old Fiancee - Keisha Smith, Mentor
One of the mentors in my life I met through a part-time job working at a nonprofit organization. I learned an incredible work ethic as well as lessons in love and in life. One of my favorite piece of advice from Keisha is: Find someone who is ambitious, goal-getting, and genuinely happy for other people when they succeed. Keisha has been engaged to her fiance for almost five years now. It's not because they are scared but both look at marriage as a huge journey to embark and want to be fully prepared for it. In this day and age, when most of my peers are looking to settle, getting settled, or already settled in their marital nest, it's refreshing to hear perspectives like Keisha's. To her, being someone's wife is a new identity that she wants to take time to understand and fully be when the time comes for her to walk down the aisle. She looks at marriage as something with precious intricacies that deserves her attention. This realization didn't make her love her fiance more or less, it gives her a sense of who she will be as a wife, and as his wife. Despite popular belief, the statistics are right, and women are becoming more and more aware of their role in marriage.

This post isn't about women overcoming obstacles for their right to vote or beign so harshly oppressed that they need to burn bras and not shave. This is about the new definition of "female" and the new meaning behind "the modern woman." The women of the future has only one concern and that is to be her fabulous self.