Single Joy

Holidays are more enjoyable for me lately due to the fact that I’ve been celebrating with my family. I love having the opportunity to catch up with their lives and connect with them more as well. Before this though, I often celebrated the holidays by myself which was fine. I learned that it is good to know how to enjoy being by yourself. I’m a single woman and I am happy with my life.

That being said, there are two times of year that I wonder what it would be like to be dating or married: my birthday and Valentine’s Day. There is so much pressure to be dating or married, especially around “romantic” times of the year. I find the way ads, songs and books portray love to often be unrealistic and simplistic. Wait a minute though: this isn’t the whole picture as there are lots of people who are happily single! We don’t get as much attention but there are a lot of us. My two best friends are also single. There are lots of good reasons to feel good about your single status. For me it means that I have more time for the things in life that bring me joy. I like to crochet, read, listen to music, and spend time with my cats. When I get home, I can choose to relax and I only need to focus on myself and my cats. Those are the things that I think about when I start feeling down about not dating.

What about you? How do you feel about this time of year? Are you doing anything different or special? I am planning to go with friends to a nice restaurant. I’m excited to see my friends and spend time with them, to catch up with them and share what’s new with me as well. I find that spending time with people, even just a bit of time with my friends, can be tiring so I really treasure my alone time.

There is a certain freedom in being single. I get to be the “captain of my own ship.” I can decide when I want to go and do (or not do) things on my own timeline for the most part. I can enjoy doing things that bring me joy. I do not need to explain or justify why I want to do something to anyone else. I make a point to do these things that bring me joy. For example, I enjoy a hot beverage in the morning, looking out my windows, and reading an excellent book. I will continue to make an effort to seek fun, happiness, and joy for myself, no matter the season, the holiday, or the date.

I hope you, the readers, find many reasons for happiness this February and the whole year through.