And I'm not talking about poor eyesight...

So, I have this theory that there is a curse that hangs over every single person. It's the curse of the "double-take".

Let's not beat around the bush; we've all been there at some point, and I'm sure a few of my readers are still there with me. When passing by a member of the opposite sex, there is this sudden unintentional urge to turn back and see what you're missing. Sometimes you don't even walk by the person; you might simply be within eye-shot of said individual. 

Point-in-Case:
This morning, I was checking out a new church with my mother. Now, we were specifically checking out this church because of the large number of people my age in attendance. Seeing as how I'm still trying to find my place here, we thought we'd give it a whirl. I was not five feet into the building when I spot a dude on the sofa in the lobby. Had I been asked to describe him in that moment, I wouldn't have been able to answer, as I honestly had not gotten a good look at him. Now, I had a choice in that moment: I could have continued to walk towards the coffee bar with my mom, not giving the guy a second though...or I could sneak another "casual" glance in his direction. I chose the latter. Upon a double-take, I concluded that he wasn't my type. Now, was there anything overly repulsive or desirable about this guy? No, not that I saw anyways. Did I need to look at him a second time? Absolutely not. Would I have checked him out again if "he" had been a "she"? Nope. But why is this?

Now, this all may seem quite shallow to anyone reading this. I like to think of myself as not being a shallow person...but a person who, nonetheless, appreciates the human body (particularly of the male variety). I don't think this is wrong, but feel free to disagree with me. I want to talk about attraction, not lust here.

As a single, straight female, I am obviously attracted to men. As a single, straight, Christian female whose majority of friends are in relationships (dating, engaged, married, with children, etc), I am acutely aware of my singledom. There's this weird and, I think, unnatural pressure on Christian singles to get married off young (they don't call it "Bridal College" for nothing). And, from a "worldly" standpoint, it's pretty uncool to be single if you're not hooking up every other weekend. As I am neither hooking up or currently hitched, I'm in that awkward and uncomfortable stage of being simply single...
...which means I'm also very aware of any and all male activity in my presence. I think nearly all singles suffer from the overly acute awareness of the opposite sex. For some, it peaks in high school, others in college, and for some of us it really never ends until we tie the knot. 

So, is the double-take a natural phenomenon? Maybe so, but maybe not. Do I continue to stand by my belief that while I'm double-taking some guy in church, there's someone just as single as me doing the same to me? I certainly won't deny it! But cheers to the single life, however long it lasts. Though I pray that one day, that "double-take" turns into a slo-mo movie moment, complete with montage, cheesy 80's music, and a happily ever after finale!