It’s not easy being the single friend all the time. Seeing others around you going on cute dates, celebrating milestones, getting engaged or even married wears on you. You’re always happy for your friends but it gets lonely sometimes. But in no way shape or form is being single as horrible as the rep it gets, and I won’t take your pity for it.

The freedom that comes with this lifestyle is unmatched anywhere else. Shopping, manicures, going out dancing the night away with girlfriends, coffee all day long, nights in sweats any day of the week, is liberating. On top of traveling the world, I know I can go anywhere. The amount you discover when you have the ability to take your time, investigate and realize what’s around you makes you question how much you’ve been missing. New hobbies, new passions, and deep connections to faith that probably wouldn’t have been found otherwise are both humbling and refreshing at the same time.

To go even further than the opportunities that open up, there is also the chance to know yourself. The overused “loving yourself” phrase is the real deal. It means knowing what you like and want in life versus the unwanted. It means knowing that at the end of the day, man or no man, you have an inner confidence and peace with who you are on a personal level.

It is OK to be chronically single for a while. Sometimes it gets in people’s heads that there is something wrong, or they're not trying, or they're chasing after the wrong guys. No. I am simply waiting for something solid. Something that makes being in a relationship a better offer than what I have. It’s cliché and I can’t find a better way to phrase it, but I’m waiting for the right connection. I want something bold that will last through the hard times and make the good times better. I am waiting for a man who is kind at heart, strong in his ways, and loyal to his commitments. I have come a long way and realized what I deserve, and I won’t stop to settle now.

I don’t need a man in my life. No girl should. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to have someone alongside me on all these new adventures I’m finding, but I can live without this. I will do more than live, I will thrive. Once someone can handle the sunshine and joy in my life, I’ll reconsider. But for now, it’s OK to be chronically single, it's just fine.