#SoloSongs: “I Will Survive” and “Flowers”
#SoloSongs is our feature in which we highlight songs that show the joys and struggles of being independent.
“I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor and “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus are the types of songs that demand you get off your butt and dance. But both songs come with powerful messages.
Breakups are never easy, but the two songs – one from the 1970s, the other just a few years old – come with the realization that the narrators lead new lives and all kinds of possibilities are open to them.
“I Will Survive” came out in 1978 with a propulsive beat and strong lyrics to match. When her former lover comes back into her life, the narrator realizes that she was doing just fine. Her time alone made her a different person: “And you see me, somebody new/I'm not that lonely little person/Still in love with you.”
Almost 50 years later, Miley Cyrus came out with “Flowers.” The narrator feels sad over the end of her relationship until she realizes she can buy her own flowers and do whatever else she wants. “Yeah, I can love me better than you can,” Cyrus sings.
While many breakup songs mourn the loss of a relationship, the narrator “Flowers” sees her strengths. Being free means you don’t have to depend on the other’s person’s moods and tastes. You can take time for yourself.
Like “I Will Survive,” it’s an instant classic. It even won the 2024 record of the year from the Grammys. If you’re lying in bed feeling bad for yourself, you will want to get up. And you realize, as Miley sings, “I can take myself dancing.”
What’s on tap for June?
June is here. The days are long and hot, hot, hot. Pride Month celebrations dot the calendar, as well as commencement ceremonies and vacation days. If you’re graduating from college – congratulations! Our New Life Starter Kit will help your job and apartment search. If you’re going on a trip, grab out Travel Kit. Here’s what’s on tap for the next few months:
Dates to Remember
Saturday, June 7 – Eid Al-Adha
Sunday, June 15 – Father’s Day
Monday, June 16 - Taxes due for self-employed
Thursday, June 19 – Juneteenth
Start thinking about …
Friday, July 4 – Independence Day
Monday, Sept. 1 - Labor Day
Monday, Sept. 22 - Rosh Hashanah
Thursday, Oct. 2 - Yom Kippur
Monday, Oct. 13 - Indigenous People’s Day
Monday, Oct. 20 - Diwali
Friday, Oct. 31 - Halloween
#SoloStories: “Flying Solo” by Linda Holmes
SoloStories is our feature in which we explore books, films and TV shows that show single women navigating their lives – but romance is not the main component (although this is a slight exception).
“Flying Solo” by Linda Holmes is the story of two single women who love their independence – while trying to maintain their love for others.
Laurie Sassalyn, a freelance writer, is visiting her hometown of Maine to clean up the house of her Aunt Dot, who recently passed away. Dot never married, but she traveled, made plenty of friends and kept her house filled with prized possessions.
Laurie becomes beguiled with a mysterious object of Dot’s, a wooden duck tucked away in a chest. Laurie is trying to figure out the duck’s origins when she reunites with her old boyfriend, Nick.
Laurie is protective of Dot because Dot was protective of Laurie, giving her a safe space during her childhood while she was growing up in a house full of boys. “Inside was peace. No negotiating like there always was in a house of seven people; no bargaining.”
It’s why Laurie, who recently broke off an engagement, is reluctant to get into another relationship – and why she chose a quiet house in her current residence of Seattle.
“This place would not be noisy, except when she wanted it to be. And just in case, she would have every machine and oscillating fan and earplug it took to make it quiet when she was sleeping. Just quiet, that was all.”
Laurie can be an occasionally frustrating character, making odd choices. But like Dot, she knows she wants her freedom. Marriage isn’t the be-all and end-all for everyone, but that doesn’t mean they are lonely.
“I wanted to be a champion for her, I guess,” Laurie said to a friend about her aunt. “I wanted to stick up for her life, for the way she was and the way she lived. I wanted to give her the same respect she would have gotten if she’d made different choices.”
#SoloStories: “Elsbeth” and “The Residence”
SoloStories is our feature in which we explore books, films and TV shows that show single women navigating their lives – but romance is not the main component.
In her great book, “I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself,” writer Glynnis MacNichol points out that many mystery shows led by women are single.
It’s the case from “Murder She Wrote” with the widowed Jessica Fletcher and “Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries” with Phryne Fisher. Our favorite book series, the alphabet mystery series from Sue Grafton, features the resolutely single Kinsey Milhone.
So it’s no surprise that the characters in two new shows, “Elsbeth” and “The Residence” are happily single.
Not only are both women unmarried, but they both thrive on their quirkiness. In “The Residence,” Cordelia Cupp (Uzo Aduba) is the world’s greatest detective investigating a murder in the White House. She is focused on the job, only pausing to find birds in the area.
In “Elsbeth,” the main character is an attorney on a consent decree who follows police detectives to make sure they’re following correct procedure – only to end up solving the case. Elsbeth, a character spun off from “The Good Wife” and “The Good Fight,” wears bold, colorful outfits and carries at least three tote bags at once.
They’re mostly seen on the job, with only occasional glimpses at their personal life. But it’s notable they see things differently from others. Those powers of observation are something single people build when they are alone.
They don’t mind being single, either. When Cupp is asked about her status, she adamantly says she doesn’t want to be married.
Elsbeth is divorced with a grown son and has a flirtation with a guy in Scotland. In one sequence, the other characters are seen with their significant others while she’s seen eagerly poring over the many treasures in her tote bags. Her beau pings her, but she was already happy and she’s always going to be content with who she is.
Cordelia and Elsbeth may seem like odd ducks, but they care for others and want justice. Being single helps them become who they are.
GREAT BOOKS FOR GRADUATES
Graduation season is here. If you know someone who’s about to graduate or you are about to graduate (congratulations!), here are some books to help navigate the world of adulthood. And grab our New Life Starter Kit, which features checklists for finding a new job and apartment.
Careers:
“Ladies Get Paid Ladies Get Paid: The Ultimate Guide to Breaking Barriers, Owning Your Worth, and Taking Command of Your Career,” by Claire Wasserman, features advice on getting jobs and promotions, negotiating your salary, and getting over perfectionism and imposter syndrome.
“Power Moves: How Women Can Pivot, Reboot, and Build a Career of Purpose,” by Lauren McGoodwin, helps you reexamine your outlook on your career, such as not chasing a “dream job,” and prioritizing self-care by silencing your inner critic.
“Embrace the Work, Love Your Career: A Guided Workbook for Realizing Your Career Goals with Clarity, Intention, and Confidence,” by Fran Hauser, is a workbook that encourages you to create a career action plan, assemble a dream team of supporters and teaches you how to say “no” to others.
How-to guides:
"Clever Girl Finance: Ditch Debt, Save Money and Build Real Wealth," by Bola Sukunbi, is a primer on financial topics.
"Mechanic Shop Femme’s Guide to Car Ownership: Uncomplicating Cars for All of Us," by Chaya M. Milchtein, provides the keys to learning about autos.
“You Gotta Eat: Real-Life Strategies for Feeding Yourself When Cooking Feels Impossible” by Margaret Eby, gives ideas for meals when you’re tired after a long day or you don’t want to spend too much money at restaurants. Read our review here.
Single Life:
“Party of One: Be Your Own Best Life Partner," by Meghan Keane, tackles the joys and challenges of being single. Read our review here.
“Single: Living a Complete Life on Your Own Terms,” by Nicola Slawson, features interviews with single women about a variety of topics. Read our review here.
Your guide to may
It’s May! After a few months without any work holidays, Memorial Day (and days at the beach and the longer days of summer) is within sight. If you’re going to take a trip, use our Travel Kit for your next adventure. Need a present for Mother’s Day? Here’s our gift guide. It’s graduation season, too, so our New Life Starter Kit is great for those who are off to join the world.
Monday, May 5 - Cinco de Mayo
Sunday, May 11 – Mother’s Day
Monday, May 26 – Memorial Day
Start thinking about …
Saturday, June 7 – Eid Al-Adha
Sunday, June 15 – Father’s Day
Monday, June 16 - Taxes due for self-employed
Thursday, June 19 – Juneteenth
Friday, July 4 – Independence Day
Monday, Sept. 1 - Labor Day
Monday, Sept. 22 - Rosh Hashanah
Book review: “you gotta eat” by margaret eby
If you need a cookbook made for people who don’t cook, there’s a perfect book for you: “You Gotta Eat: Real-Life Strategies for Feeding Yourself When Cooking Feels Impossible” by Margaret Eby.
The book isn’t specifically for solo cooks, but it is great for people who are on their own for the first time. Eby gives recipes for items – such as salads, sandwiches and smoothies – that may seem obvious, but you need ideas when you’re tired after a long day or you don’t want to spend too much money at restaurants.
“We will avoid creating more dishes to clean whenever possible,” Eby wrote. “If there’s a way to skip a step, we’re gonna skip it. … It’s about figuring out how to make whatever you’re working with a tiny bit more exciting or palatable, while also acknowledging that at the end of the day you’re just an animal who needs nutrients.”
As you can tell, Eby has a relatable, fun voice that helps you make good, nutritious meals, whether it’s popping something in the microwave or combining items you already have.
We had an unused bag of tater tots in the freezer that served as an ingredient for “Party Leftovers Casserole” (above) – a fun treat which lasted several days. We also tried “The Easiest Dip I Know” (below) that went great with our favorite chips and added zest to our vegetables.
Her other ideas include various combinations to make bean salad, soups, cheese boards and other creations.
With its beautiful illustrations by María Toro, this is a great gift for graduates and others who want to do more in the kitchen.
book review: “Single: Living a Complete Life on Your Own Terms” by Nicola Slawson
“Single: Living a Complete Life on Your Own Terms” by Nicola Slawson is a book that understands you.
The book, written by a British journalist, explores the many aspects of singlehood that celebrates the status, instead of bemoaning it. It also shows the frustrating parts of being single, but it doesn’t put the blame on single people.
Slawson interviewed dozens of single people to get their viewpoints and stories. Slawson touches on issues such as economics (what do you do if you don’t have a savings account to get you through tough times?) and housing (how can one person afford their own space?).
There are emotional aspects too, such as those feelings when you feel left behind while others are reaching adult milestones, like weddings, new homes and kids, and internalizing emotions because there isn’t “someone in your house every night asking how your day was.”
And there is the burden of having to do things all by yourself.
“It can also be hard because I’m always the one who has to make sure there are teabags and loo roll in the house,” Slawson wrote. “I always have to remember my key. Even if I have had a really long hard day, I still have to do all the cooking and tidying myself. There is no one else to pick up the slack if I’m ill. People often talk about the ‘mental load’ that women have to carry, even if their husbands/partners share the housework. There are countless articles and memes about it and they all assume that everyone reading has a partner who isn’t sharing a burden of making sure there is food in the house and that the bills are paid. These articles don’t take into account the millions of people of both genders who live alone and so therefore automatically have to carry all of the mental load, as well as the physical load of actually doing the chores. The only thing we don’t carry is the resentment against partners not pulling their weight and, for that, I am grateful.”
Slawson, who runs The Single Supplement newsletter, also talks about the joys of being single – such as the spontaneous choices people can make to travel and pursue other goals. She is also inclusive, talking to those whose are plus-sized and disabled.
This is a great book that gives voice to single people and their unique issues it brings.
#SOLOSTORIES: “Girls Trip” and “Joy Ride”
SoloStories is our feature in which we explore books, films and TV shows that show single women navigating their lives – but romance is not the main component.
The movies “Girls Trip” and “Joy Ride” share several things in common. They focus on a quartet of friends on a journey. They’re both incredibly raunchy. And the happy endings for their characters doesn’t mean marriage.
In the 2017 movie “Girls Trip,” four college friends (Regina Hall, Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah and Tiffany Hadish) reunite for the first time in years to attend EssenceFest in New Orleans. Three of them are single. The character Ryan (Hall) appears happily married – but it’s not what it seems.
The women take charge of their freedom and party, drink, flirt, have sex and pee (not a typo) their way through Bourbon Street. But there are fractures in their friendship and in Ryan’s marriage. While delivering a speech, Ryan realizes that her freedom and dignity is more important to her.
“I was willing to accept being treated as less than I am. And I know I'm not alone in this. I know that there are a lot of us who stay in bad relationships because we have convinced ourselves that being disrespected is better than being alone. But we shouldn't fear being alone, because there is power in rediscovering your own voice. I forgot that years before I was ... Stewart's wife, I was Ryan. A girl with her own ambitions and her own dreams. But luckily... my girls... my girls... reminded me of that. Flossy Posse. They reminded me of my own worth... And that there was a time that I didn't fear anything. No one has the power to shatter your dreams unless you give it to them. … And I refuse to give anyone that power again.”
The speech may bring something in your eye.
The 2023 movie “Joy Ride” is another movie with some moments that may make you cry. Audrey (Ashley Park) travels to China on a business trip and ends up with her friends (Stephanie Hsu, Sherry Cola, Sabrina Wu). They encounter some misadventures along the way, some of which involve an American drug dealer, a basketball team and KPOP fans.
Like “Girls Trip,” the women do not hold back on their sexuality. And they also face some hard truths about their lives when Audrey searches for her birth mother and the stress from their travels become too much.
By the end of the movie, one of them is preparing for a wedding and the three others are unattached. In “Girls Trip,” Ryan is seen flirting with another guy, but the women are all single at the end of the movie.
In both movies, their happily ever after is their friendship and the ability to make their own choices.
Your roadmap for April
Happy April! Now that spring is here, it feels like there’s more to do. But … there is one big adulting chore you have to do. If you haven’t filed your taxes yet, the deadline is April 15. Then go celebrate. Grab our Travel Kit to plan your trip. And graduation is coming up. If you or someone you know is crossing the stage, our New Life Starter Kit provides resources to find a new job, apartment and more.
Saturday, April 12 – Passover begins
Tuesday, April 15 – Income Tax Day
Sunday, April 20 – Easter; Passover ends
Start thinking about …
Sunday, May 11 – Mother’s Day
Monday, May 26 – Memorial Day
Saturday, June 7 – Eid Al-Adha
Sunday, June 15 – Father’s Day
Thursday, June 19 – Juneteenth
Friday, July 4 – Independence Day
“All the Single Ladies” readalong: Chapters EIGHT, NINE AND TEN
We’re concluding our readalong of “All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation” by Rebecca Traister with a trio of chapters that cover sex, marriage and parenthood.
“When it comes to the stories that women tell (or don’t tell) about sex, the interesting part isn’t necessarily the fact of the sex; it’s the increasing variety of sexual paths open to women, the diversity of choices made by different, or sometimes by an individual woman, over the course of her adulthood,” Traister wrote as chapter eight explores various women’s experiences.
In chapter nine about marriage, she noted that it’s the “progressive nature of a nation … that has allowed marriage to evolve” with single women “through argument or just through their existence, have forced the country to expand to make new space for them.”
When women delay marriage, it can mean that marriages last longer and men are also independent and perform chores. But some women marry because of legal and health care benefits.
Then comes the baby carriage. In chapter 10, Traister notes that IVF made it possible for single and older women to give birth, although they are still scolded for postponing birth.
And then Traister delivers one of the best lines in the book: “Singlehood wasn’t some outfit you could simply change out of when someone pointed out that it wasn’t keeping you warm enough; the husband-free existences women were living couldn’t change course with a snap of the fingers.”
She added that many women “conclude that do not want to have children, at least not as much as they want to do other things.”
The book was great, and we understand the book focuses on the historical and sociological aspects of single women, but we wanted to know about modern women, too. We want to know about single women who own homes and cars. What about women who travel, start businesses, create art and lead nonprofits? How do single women protect themselves, physically and financially? What do single women do in retirement and take care of themselves in old age? Single women are still writing that book.
“All the Single Ladies” readalong: Chapters six and seven
Money is the topic of the next two chapters in our readalong of the book “All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation” by Rebecca Traister. The titles of chapters six and seven say it all: “For Richer” and “For Poorer.”
In “For Richer,” one quote sums it well: “Dependency on men, primarily through marriage, was the perpetual condition of centuries of women. And many women, whether or not they are politically active, ideologically committed feminists, or whether they have simply considered the lives of their mothers and foremothers, understand, under their skin that the heart of independence lies money.”
Women often delay marriage “to set down professional roots.” They find satisfaction in work and education. They also have more money to spend -- but that comes at the expense of other single women who toll away in working class jobs.
And for most Americans, as Traister notes in “For Poorer,” “Work is the center of life, not because they yearn for it to be, but because it has to be.”
Single women often use services such as takeout, laundry and housekeeping “that allow women who are not wives to live as if they had wives,” but they are frequently provided by poor women.
Single women face other economic hurdles: they pay more for insurance and do not have tax breaks. And single mothers have it worse. Not only do they face a political backlash, but politicians promote policies aimed at marriage. Despite the obstacles, single motherhood gives women purpose and “lifelong bonds of love.”
Do you experience financial freedom? Do you enjoy deciding how you can spend your money? Is it harder financially than sharing costs with a husband or a roommate? Are there expenses you wish you could share with others?
“All the Single Ladies” readalong: Chapters four and five
The next two chapters in our readalong of “All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation” by Rebecca Traister explore unique aspects of single life – the craving for support and the challenges of solitude.
Chapter four is devoted to friendships that today are “recreating contemporary versions of very old webs of support.”
Friends have “pushed each into, and supported each other within, intellectual and public realms to which men rarely extended invitations.” Pairs of women founded colleges and settlement houses and headed suffrage, temperance and abolition movements.
“It’s our friends who move us into new homes, friends with whom we buy and care for pets, friends with whom we mourn death and experience illness, friends alongside whom some of us may raise children and see them into adulthood.”
But single women also have to do everything for themselves, and that solitude brings several challenges. The upside is that single women are more likely to be active and find that “solitude – both the act of being alone and the attitude of being independent – a surprisingly sweet relief.”
But single women are often seen as selfish or as freaks – “like merchandise (that sits) on the shelf … unpurchased and unloved.” They face loneliness “by the drain of having to be everything for yourself.” They can be helpless in emergencies or illnesses although, Traister noted, married people face those same obstacles.
How do you cope with emergencies or illnesses as a single woman? How do your friends play a factor in your lives?
“All the Single Ladies” readalong: Chapter three
It’s time for chapter three of our read-along of “All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation” by Rebecca Traister. This chapter of the book examines how single women flock to cities. The city becomes their “spouse and, sometimes, true love.”
Cities offer not just more jobs, but adventure. Cities are “chock-full of single people,” and they made up more than 40 percent of the population in big cities in the late 2010s (when the book was written).
The city provides infrastructure that towns don’t – from retail stores and restaurants on every corner to romantic prospects and entertainment. The cities also present challenges, such as a higher crime rate and an increased cost of living.
“Cities allow those who might have made restless, dissatisfied, always hungry-for-something-else mates who caused their partners unhappiness to exit the marriage highway, veering instead onto paths that take them to places they they’d rather be,” Traister wrote.
Do you prefer cities or small towns? What opportunities do you find in cities compared to the country? Let us know in the comments.
Here is our reading schedule:
Monday, March 3 - Chapters 1 and 2
Monday, March 10 - Chapter 3
Monday, March 17 - Chapters 4 and 5
Monday, March 24 - Chapters 6 and 7
Monday, March 31 - Chapters 8, 9 and 10
“All the Single Ladies” readalong: Chapters One and Two
Welcome to our readalong of “All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation” by Rebecca Traister. We think this is the perfect book to read for Women’s History Month. You can find our reading schedule here.
Traister’s main point of the book is that single women have always played a vital role in the making of the world – and we get a historical overview of single women’s role in history in chapters one and two.
Throughout the course of time, many single women were stuck in jobs as midwives and caretakers and then, as the industrial revolution took place, teachers or nurses.
But single women were “coalescing around a handful of social movements that would alter the future of a nation,” including the abolitionist movement. As technology advanced, women had more jobs opportunities and roles in the labor movement. They led in the shaping of the 14th, 15th, 18th and 19th Amendments.
Traister notes that the second feminist wave of the 1970s had the “ironic side effect … that single women had almost no place in the underpinnnings of the movement.” Second Wave feminists like Betty Friedan were married, but the movement “did not assume (or even consider) that marriage was a problematic element, or that it might be optional for women.”
But Gloria Steinem was unmarried and, although she had relationships, “she just really enjoyed being free.” Women were beginning to understand they could be free, too, as new laws and Supreme Court decisions and the divorce boom made it more common to be single.
This is an interesting overview of single women in history. Traister points to famous single women, including Queen Elizabeth I; activists Susan B. Anthony, Jane Addams and Dorothy Height; painter Mary Cassatt; poet Emily Dickinson; and doctors Elizabeth and Emily Blackwell. Who is your favorite single woman in history?
Here comes march …
Spring, is that you? We feel like the sun is coming. The warmer weather makes us dream of our next vacation, so grab our Travel Kit to plan your trip. March brings in several religious holidays, plus a few rowdy celebrations like Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day. And if you haven’t done your taxes yet, the deadline of April 15 will come here sooner than you think.
Tuesday, March 4 - Mardi Gras
Wednesday, March 5 – Ash Wednesday; Lent begins
Saturday, March 8 - International Women's Day
Sunday, March 9 – Daylight Savings Time begins; move your clocks forward
Friday, March 14 – Holi
Monday, March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day
Sunday, March 30 – Eid al-Fitr
Start thinking about …
Saturday, April 12 – Passover begins
Tuesday, April 15 – Income Tax Day
Sunday, April 20 – Easter; Passover ends
Sunday, May 11 – Mother’s Day
Monday, May 26 – Memorial Day
Sunday, June 15 – Father’s Day
Thursday, June 19 – Juneteenth
Let’s read “All the Single Ladies”
March marks Women’s History Month and March 8 is International Woman’s Day, so there’s no better time to read a book that celebrates single women through history: “All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation” by Rebecca Traister. The 2016 book covers it all – economics, sex, friendship – and we’ll read a portion each week. Here’s what we’ll cover throughout the month:
Monday, March 3 - Chapters 1 and 2
Monday, March 10 - Chapter 3
Monday, March 17 - Chapters 4 and 5
Monday, March 24 - Chapters 6 and 7
Monday, March 31 - Chapters 8, 9 and 10
Join us!
SoloStories: “Hacks”
SoloStories is our feature in which we explore books, films and TV shows that show single women navigating their lives – but romance is not the main component.
You don’t like Deborah Vance or Ava in the Max comedy series “Hacks,” but you learn to love them.
“Hacks” is the Emmy-winning comedy about Ava (Hannah Einbinder), a young comedy writer who goes to work for Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), a comedian and entrepreneur in her 70s. Many films and TV shows focus on relationships between couples or family members. “Hacks” is that rare show that is about a multigenerational mentor-protegee relationship. Both are single – Deborah is divorced with one grown daughter and Ava, who is bisexual, is finding her way through various relationships.
In some ways, their relationship is like a romantic comedy that takes them through bonding periods (we loved the “One Day” episode in season three) and fierce arguments. But at its heart, it’s about two independent women. They both stand up for themselves and they know how they want to live their lives. Deborah hasn’t given up on hosting her own late night TV show. Ava wants her to use her voice through comedy.
“Hacks” is made by the same team -- Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky -- who made the other great TV show, “Broad City.” The third season, which won in the best comedy category at the Emmys, ended with a great cliffhanger that will get them what they both want – but Deborah and Ava’s relationship will be intense. We can’t wait to watch it.
#SOLOSTORIES: “The Midnight Library”
SoloStories is our feature in which we explore books, films and TV shows that show single women navigating their lives – but romance is not the main component.
Nora Seed, the main character of Matt Haig’s “The Midnight Library,” is at the lowest point of her life when she enters the Midnight Library. With each book she opens, the music store employee begins a new life.
In those pages, she becomes a scientist who faces polar bears in the Arctic Ocean. Then she’s an Olympics gold medalist in swimming who works as a motivational speaker. In another book, she’s a rock star. But then, she is married to Ash, a surgeon, and is the mother of two children.
“Library” brings answers to the questions many humans have – what if our lives turned into a different direction? What if we pursued a different career? What if that relationship turned into marriage? For single women, it’s a question that pops in our mind often because having a family is an experience that wanders through our minds – and society often looks down on being independent.
Haig’s writing paints a vivid picture of all Nora’s lives. But he does it without judgment – every choice brings interesting perspectives and relationships. And humans have to power to create their paths. As the book says, “She just needed potential. And she was nothing if not potential. She wondered why she had never seen it before.”
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YOUR GUIDE FOR FEBRUARY
February is a quick month, but it’s also slightly annoying. With Valentine’s Day, it’s a celebration for couples. And the cold weather makes you feel stuck inside. But you can give yourself love by celebrating with friends or treating yourself. And you can do plenty of things indoors – warmer weather and the Memorial Day holiday will arrive in a few months, and it’s the perfect time to plan for a trip using our Travel Kit.
Thursday, Feb. 13 – Galentine’s Day
Friday, Feb. 14 - Valentine’s Day
Saturday, Feb. 15 – Singles Awareness Day
Monday, Feb. 17 – President’s Day
Friday, Feb. 28 – Ramadan begins
Start thinking about …
Tuesday, March 4 - Mardi Gras
Wednesday, March 5 – Ash Wednesday; Lent begins
Friday, March 14 – Holi
Sunday, March 30 – Eid al-Fitr
Saturday, April 12 – Passover begins
Tuesday, April 15 – Income Tax Day
Sunday, April 20 – Easter; Passover ends
Sunday, May 11 – Mother’s Day
Monday, May 26 – Memorial Day