Staying single isn’t radical, it should be embraced
Once upon a time, I wrote a column on this exact same subject matter. It’s been over three years now. I’ve become a very different person since then. I think it would do me well to revisit this idea, given the circumstances I find myself in now.
The issue at hand is the radical notion of being single. This shouldn’t be radical at all, of course. In fact, it should be welcomed, cheered for, happily embraced.
I have the ability to plan my future as I see fit. I don’t have to worry about anyone else’s emotional well being but my own. I can go wherever I want, whenever I want, with whoever I want. I can be whatever I want to be. I’m free.
Surely these things should be celebrated with a bottle of expensive champagne, not mourned over for an indeterminate amount of time. The fact of the matter is; it’s hard to be single when you’re a fall down hopeless romantic like me.
It’s especially difficult when you think you’ve finally gotten it right and it all goes down in a sudden flurry of whiskey-fueled flames. You can only go over every single insignificant detail for so long before you literally drive yourself insane.
On top of this, I am surrounded by love just about everywhere I go. There is Facebook, of course, with its never-ending supply of cute couples and the nauseatingly adorable photographs they take. There are the whimsical fairy tale romances in books, movies, and TV shows.
Then there is my job. My customers never fail to ask me if working in a wedding dress shop makes me want to plan a wedding. It’s like they know I’m single and just want to rub the salt deeper in the wound.
I’m still struggling to celebrate my single life. It shouldn’t be this hard when there are so many positive things to take into consideration. Yet here I am, alone in my house, writing this column in an attempt to make myself feel better about it all.
It comes down to your attitude. I suppose I could spend the entire day wallowing in every mistake I’ve ever made in love and waste my valuable column space lingering on the past. Or, I can take the lessons, stay positive, and continue moving forward. I can make the choice to be optimistic.
Furthermore, I don’t even have the time to be dating anyway. I’m in graduate school. Free time is a precious commodity these days, and I prefer to spend mine doing what I love.
Statistically speaking, the right person has to be out there somewhere. Why even bother worrying about it? There is no rush for me to settle down. I don’t even really know exactly what I’m doing with my life yet. For as old as I feel, I am still only 25. I’m not a cat lady yet. I have my entire future ahead of me, and it looks increasingly bright.
