Un-Categorical

My mom made me go to church on Christmas Eve.

No, I did not burst into flames.

It was ok... despite the fact that it was one of those "hipster" churches that tries to appeal to the younger audience with rock-based Christmas music and full-scale productions.

I am really a more traditional girl. What I want from a Christmas Eve service is to sing a few hymns, read a few bible verses, hear a short sermon full of hope, etc.

Anyway, there was a card with the program that was handed out as you walked into the sanctuary. If you wanted more information about the church you could fill it out and they would contact you... and while I had no intention of filling it out I did happen to notice that they apparently thought there were only two categories of people on the entire planet: Married or Single.

I am neither of those things.

I think I would have felt better if they had also included Widowed, because of all the categories that one feels most accurate, as widowed is neither married nor single.

I am in a long-term committed relationship, which makes me "not single," (and also "not married" and also "not going to be married") but even if That Bad Bad Man weren't around I still wouldn't feel single. Or married. And I certainly wouldn't feel Single with the implied search for Married.

Am I really an aberration?

And why does it matter so much? Why have the boxes at all? I understand the necessity of those boxes for financial forms and census information... but for a church?

I know it's not a big deal. It's just a form for a church that I wasn't going to attend anyway, but it is such a strange thing to be marginalized in unexpected ways.