The Mid Life Dating Files 2025

What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done when no one was watching?

What’s the Bravest Thing I’ve Ever Done When No One Was Watching?

Well…first of all, I’m not sure being brave when no one is watching really applies to me because I’m the single girl who does EVERYTHING by herself. 😂

Apparently, the cosmic universe looked down at me one day and said:

“Christy, you’re independent, stubborn, hardheaded, slightly unhinged, and you hate being told what to do. We’re just going to leave you unsupervised and see what happens.”

And here we are.

Nothing wrong with being single and living alone. I’ve actually learned to love the peace. But when you live alone and there’s nobody around to say, “Christy, maybe that’s not a good idea,” you start doing things that could technically be called brave…

Or stupid.

There is a VERY thin line. 😂

I’m the girl who will drag out a 12-foot ladder and climb all the way up it to change an outside light bulb.

By myself.

No spotter.

No helmet.

No emergency medical personnel standing by.

Just me, the ladder, questionable judgment, and the confidence of a woman who has absolutely NO BUSINESS being 12 feet off the ground.

Then, while I’m already up there, I’ll think:

“Well, since I’m here, I might as well clean those tree limbs and leaves off that part of the house.”

WHY?!

GET DOWN, CHRISTY.

But NOOOOO.

Then let’s add some YELLOW JACKETS into the situation because apparently climbing a ladder alone isn’t dangerous enough.

Now I’m 12 feet in the air fighting yellow jackets like I’m in some kind of low-budget action movie.

At this point, I’m not brave.

I’m unsupervised. 😂

And considering I was apparently given the gracefulness of a drunk giraffe wearing roller skates, this is especially concerning.

I fall walking.

I fall running.

I fall going UP stairs.

I fall going DOWN stairs.

I can probably fall standing perfectly still…well, I have!

Follow me around for 24 hours and you’ll get FREE LIVE ENTERTAINMENT.

One day I’m fully expecting to wake up on the ground beside the ladder wondering what year it is while Blaze is looking through the window thinking:

“Heavens to Betsy Ross. She’s finally done it.”

This is exactly why I probably need one of those Life Alert necklaces.

HELP! I’VE FALLEN AND I CAN’T GET UP!

Except mine needs GPS, a camera and a special button that says:

“Christy has attempted something she had absolutely no business attempting again.”

🚨 SEND HELP. 🚨

Spirit Water is probably somewhere in the background whispering:

“You’ve got this.”

NO, SPIRIT WATER.

SHE DOES NOT GOT THIS.

😂😂😂

But then there’s another kind of brave in me.

If I see a dog running beside a highway?

BRAKES.

Car pulled over.

Christy is out.

Cars could be flying by me at 70 mph and I’m standing there crying, trying to convince somebody’s terrified dog:

“COME HERE, BABY! I’M TRYING TO SAVE YOU!”

I’ll risk myself for a dog or cat without even thinking twice.

Fur baby in danger?

Christy has entered the chat.

That’s just who I am. ❤️🐾

But then we need to discuss something that makes absolutely NO SENSE about my particular brand of bravery.

SNAKES.

Or, as I prefer to call them:

NO SHOULDERS. 🐍

My neighborhood is surrounded by water, so naturally there are occasional snake sightings.

And I HATE THEM.

HATE.

THEM.

More than just about anything on this planet.

I’ve been out running before, minding my own business, living my best athletic little life, when suddenly…

NO SHOULDERS.

And now my run is OVER.

I’m standing there staring at that slithery demon like we’re in a Western showdown.

He’s looking at me.

I’m looking at him.

I’m throwing rocks.

I’m pleading with Jesus.

I’m considering calling someone to come pick me up.

“Hello? Yes. I need a ride.”

“Where are you?”

“About half a mile from my house.”

“Why can’t you walk home?”

“THERE’S A SNAKE.”

😂😂😂

YES.

COME GET ME.

I DON’T CARE.

Call me a scaredy-cat.

I’ll own it.

And if there is EVER a NO SHOULDER IN MY POOL?!

Well, you can just FORGET IT.

Pool closed.

Summer canceled.

Christy has officially evacuated the premises.

At that point, that snake has two choices:

It can have the pool…or it can have the DEED TO THE ENTIRE HOUSE.

Because I’m not negotiating.

Congratulations, Mr. No Shoulders. 🐍🏡

Mortgage information is on the counter.

Utilities are due on the first.

Pool chemicals are in the garage.

Blaze and I will be relocating.

😂😂😂

Thankfully, I have my own personal No-Shoulders 911.

JEFF.

My next-door neighbor.

Jeff knows EXACTLY how I feel about snakes, which means when one decides to turn my swimming pool into his personal Airbnb, I’m calling Jeff.

Not Animal Control.

Not the police.

Not Ghostbusters.

JEFF.

📞 “JEFF!!! THERE’S A NO SHOULDER IN THE POOL!!!”

And bless him, he’ll come over and remove it because he already knows there is absolutely NO scenario where Christy is handling that situation herself.

That is where my bravery officially ends.

I’ll climb a 12-foot ladder.

I’ll battle yellow jackets.

I’ll stop on the side of a highway to rescue a dog.

I’ll live alone.

I’ll fix things by myself.

I’ll travel.

I’ll even willingly get into a cage in the ocean with a GREAT WHITE SHARK.

But remove a snake from my pool?

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

That’s why God gave me a next-door neighbor named Jeff.

😂😂😂

Because here’s where my bravery makes absolutely ZERO sense:

I want to cage dive with GREAT WHITE SHARKS. 🦈

VOLUNTARILY.

Put me in the ocean.

Lower me into a cage.

Let a 15-foot Great White swim right up to my face with approximately 300 teeth and look at me like I’m the lunch special.

I’m IN.

SIGN ME UP!

But put a little four-foot snake on the road between me and my house?

CALL THE NATIONAL GUARD.

Put one in my swimming pool?

CALL JEFF.

I’m not going.

😂😂😂

I realize this makes absolutely no sense.

Welcome to Christy.

I’ve never served in the military, and when I hear the word brave, that’s the kind of courage I immediately think about—the men and women who have faced things most of us could never imagine.

My bravery is obviously a very different kind.

Mine has looked more like learning how to live alone.

Learning how to fix things myself.

Learning how to figure things out when there’s nobody there to help.

Learning that sometimes you have to climb your own ladder—although perhaps NOT literally a 12-foot one while fighting yellow jackets. We can probably retire that particular life lesson.

It’s stopping for an animal when everyone else keeps driving.

It’s facing hard days in a quiet house and realizing the quiet isn’t always something to fear.

It’s learning that being alone and being lonely aren’t the same thing.

And somewhere along the way, I stopped seeing living alone as something sad and started realizing there’s something pretty powerful about knowing:

I CAN DO HARD THINGS BY MYSELF.

I’ve learned to love my peace.

I’ve learned to trust myself.

I’ve learned to improvise.

I’ve learned to laugh when things go sideways.

And I’ve learned that sometimes bravery doesn’t have an audience.

Nobody claps.

Nobody sees it.

Nobody even knows you did it.

Sometimes bravery is simply standing there alone thinking:

“Well, crap. I guess it’s up to me.”

And then doing it.

Now, whether some of the things I do qualify as bravery, independence, stubbornness, stupidity, or lack of adult supervision is still up for debate.

Probably a combination of all five. 😂

But that’s me.

I’ll climb the ladder.

I’ll rescue the dog.

I’ll figure it out.

I’ll live alone.

I’ll do the hard things.

I’ll get in the shark cage.

And I’ll keep living this crazy, beautiful, slightly unhinged life MY way.

But if there’s a snake in the road?

I’m calling somebody.

If there’s one in the pool?

I’M CALLING JEFF.

And if Jeff isn’t home?

Mr. No Shoulders can have the deed.

I have standards.

♏️😂🐍🦈

Carpe Diem. Be brave. Do the hard things. Rescue the fur babies. Swim with the sharks. Call Jeff for the snakes. And for Heaven’s sake, if you see Christy on a 12-foot ladder fighting yellow jackets…CALL SOMEBODY.

Because Spirit Water is clearly not a responsible adult. 😂🥂

Beautifully Unhinged. Slightly Unsupervised. Completely Christy.