Woman married at 42 pens a heartwarming open letter to all single people: 'Celebrate yourself'

If you are at a stage where most of your friends are either getting engaged, married or having children, you might experience an invisible pressure on yourself. So, when Aly Teich—who goes by @alyteich on Instagram—got married at 42, she penned an open letter to single individuals who might be feeling discouraged. Her heartfelt message aimed to validate their real-life experiences and offer reassurance that things would work out in time.

Teich expressed that she wanted to address all the single people on her feed before sharing her wedding content. "As a 42-year-old woman who met her soon-to-be husband only 2.5 years ago, I still keenly remember the feelings that would be evoked each time I would see a post announcing yet another engagement, yet another wedding, another baby born or anything else that would further confirm my belief that I was somehow behind or worse, failing at life," she wrote. "While I wanted to feel happy for these people (and I was!), I was also feeling generally lesser about myself." She often wondered if something was wrong with her. Reflecting now, she acknowledged that those feelings weren’t silly, even if they seem so in hindsight.

Teich acknowledged the challenges of being single, especially for those yearning for a life partner. She noted that it could feel isolating as friends get married. "Being single at this stage of life can also just be incredibly lonely at times, which further sends you into thoughts of self-doubt and judgment," she wrote. "I do believe that getting married is worth the celebration, but I do not believe that getting married should be treated as an achievement." Teich also highlighted the role of therapy in breaking unhealthy cycles. "This dedication to myself led me to be in a different place with myself, to look for and value different and deeper qualities in a partner. And most importantly, be ready to be the partner I would want in someone else," Teich remarked.

"Meeting Jay was luck, good circumstances and a touch of my willingness to say yes and to put myself out there," Teich shared. "You have to be ready to recognize and choose the good ones if they don't come in the exact package you were originally looking for or expecting." She emphasized the importance of fixing things in life that need to be fixed. "Don't wait for the person who would appear and just magically solve them all," she urged. "Celebrate the s*** out of yourself. F*** the way it is supposed to happen according to society, your family, your married friends or anyone else except YOU."

People in the comments applauded the post. @sticko08 wrote, "Oh my God, this is the single best social media post I've ever read. I hope this goes viral because it needs to." @sugafoot31 commented, "This was amazing. I am over 50 and single and I am still hoping to find my man. Reading this made me feel there is hope out there! Thank you and congrats on your wedding!" @drrachelnyc remarked, "This is exactly what people need to see. Thank you for putting this out there, and I'm so excited for you."

You can follow Aly Teich (@alyteich) on Instagram for more lifestyle content.