Young, happy and single.

These words are strung together on a daily basis, but usually by a woman complaining about the fact that she is still single. But why complain about your single status when you can embrace it? Why be tied down during the years that fun can be endless, whether spend in or outside of your home, in the country or even in the middle of the ocean? Why be committed to someone else when you both are still in school, striving towards degrees that are for your own personal gain? Why be in a relationship when you could be having the time of your life with girlfriends, or spending a Friday night binge watching "Grey’s Anatomy: with your mom? There is going to be plenty of time to be in a relationship, committed and in love, time that hopefully will last the rest of your lifetime. So why not live up your 20s young, happy and single as a pringle?

The first step of the single life is to accept it. Learn to be happy with yourself and the fact that you don’t have to share the bed with an oversized man. Yes, I’ll admit there are times when I envy the ‘lovey dovey’ Instagram pictures and cuddles that my friends share with their significant others. But then I also see the good that comes from not having to be committed to someone else, especially when I'm young and still not sure what I want for my life. I'm happy with spending my time with me, myself and I. It may be cliché, but I enjoy the silence of my life. After a while, you learn to depend on yourself, to be able to stand on and let your voice be heard loud and clear. I love not having to change my ways to fit someone else into my life. Not yet at least.

My friends will tell me I'm too picky, and maybe I am, but is that really a bad thing? Shouldn’t I be picky about the man I let into my life, the man I bear my heart and soul to, the man I hope to spend forever and always with? I'm single, but I also believe in love. I love sappy romance novels, and watching movies about epic love stories and seeing those happy couples just look at their significant others and see the love that radiates through their eyes. I'm someone who can't wait for the day I find “the one,” but I'm also not going to rush the time I have finding who I am. I'm not going to rush loving myself, serving others and praising God.

I'm in my 20s, and have never had a “serious” relationship. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t ever loved anyone. I love my parents, and my friends and my cat. I’ve learned throughout my life that I don’t need a man to have a full life. And while I begrudge no one who feels like life isn’t complete without a boyfriend, I also employ you to take a moment and think about the opportunities you could have and take if you weren’t tied down in your twenties. To those of you in relationships, I ask you to be kinder to your friends, and be sympathetic to their wants and feelings. Do not pressure them into thinking they need a boyfriend, or be little them my making them think they aren’t good enough because they don’t. Let them be single. Maybe they need the extra time to love themselves before they find someone to love them.