Happy and Single

A few years back, Marla Thomas received some very good advice. It came while she was working as a waitress and completing her undergraduate degree at Valdosta State University.

"One of my 'regulars' was a sweet couple in their mid-50s. They would talk to me about my classes, ask me about my major, what I planned to do after graduation and life in general. I told them that I was thinking of becoming a flight attendant after graduation and then seeing where my path led me," she said.

Thomas recalled that the wife suggested she follow her dream and live life to the fullest.

"She said that she had married later in life after she, too, worked for an airline. She was able to see the world and create experiences that were her own. She told me that I would have the rest of my life to be married and have kids ... to take the opportunity to live the experience while I still could," Thomas said.

She took the advice. Though Thomas now has another successful career, she's still glad that she gambled.

"I have had short-term and long-term relationships over the years, but there has always been a constant that I guess has kept me single. I refuse to settle for any less than what I think I deserve," she said.

"I have faith that I have been led on a pretty successful professional path and if it leads to a successful relationship, then I am willing to be patient and work toward it."

In today's world, career-oriented women in the their 30s, like Thomas, are all around. In fact, one of her most enduring friends, Ashley Callicutt, who is also in her 30s, shares her sentiments.

"Many women I know have made a conscious decision to put their desire for marriage and children on hold in order to progress to where they would like to be in their careers," she said.