The Beauty in Being Single

Image Courtesy: Katherine Rhodes

I recently made the life-altering decision to confess my feelings to my crush. Or, more accurately, a couple of weekends ago, I single-handedly consumed an entire Sour Warheads FourLoko, attended a 22nd birthday party, and drunk-texted my roommate’s best guy friend that the consequences of our actions—flirting with each other for fun—had finally caught up to me. It went about as well as someone who is not the main character of a rom-com could expect that situation to go. 

The next morning, in the wake of my questionable decision, I actually felt more at peace with my internal monologue than I had in a long time. My effervescent emotions had finally bubbled over. My feelings were unrequited but not injured and ultimately, there is beauty in being single. 

Image Courtesy: Pinterest

For about 20 years of my life, I have remained unencumbered by the complexities of maintaining a long-term romantic relationship. Sure, that hasn’t always felt like a blessing, but this Valentine’s Day I’m determined to see the beauty in my singleton status. 

I listed out some small but beautiful benefits of being on my own:

1. I get desert for myself and myself only at every restaurant.

2. My leg-shaving schedule is reliant upon only the opinion of me, myself and I.

3. When I decide to watch a movie, I can always pick a rom-com.

4. My bank account is glad that I don’t have to buy a significant other gifts with my dwindling savings.

5. Each day, I get to know myself better and understand my personal relationship with independence. 

As I make plans to celebrate my indispensable relationships with friends and family during this month of love, I am also taking time to find joy in human interaction, embrace my embarrassment and reveal the beauty in getting to dedicate most of my time to better understanding the one person I’ll definitely spend the rest of my life with: me.

Here are my picks for songs to celebrate yourself this V-Day:

Image Courtesy: Katherine Rhodes via Spotify

Strike Out,

Katherine Rhodes

Editor: Gianna Rodriguez

Athens