Being a huge fan of romantic comedies, I constantly surround myself in couples and the language of romance. I find myself getting lost in all the drama to even begin to contemplate my romantic situation. I’m 19 years old and have never kissed a guy. In a modern society where people meet quickly and create relationships at a young age, I have been deemed an outsider to this world. There are many things I can put the blame on when it comes to being single. I can blame my body and tell myself that I am not good enough, I can blame the way I was raised, or I can blame God for not granting me the wish of a relationship.

I know that I am still young and that I have more life to experience, but I can’t help but wonder what life would be like if I had someone that would be there for me on New Year’s Eve. If you’re like me, you probably watch the Hallmark Channel and watch all of the romantic comedies that all start the same and end the same. We detest how cliché they are, but secretly want a life where we meet out prince and get swept away to a happily ever after. These negative thoughts seem to dwell in my mind but then I remember there are plenty of benefits that come with being single.

There is a freedom to do as you please without having the need to check in with anyone. You are not limited to asking permission to someone, hoping that they will let you go. Your parents did that to you and you don’t need someone else to have to check in with. You get to live this independent life where you oversee yourself.

The holidays always bring a wave of relationship fever. We look around to see all of the couples getting each other gifts and cuddling by firelight, that we can’t help but be envious of their happiness. But there comes a point in your life where you say enough is enough and you are content with who you are as a person. You don’t need a significant other telling you what you can and can’t do. You get to take care of yourself and discover yourself before you throw your own life into someone else’s.

Just because you are single doesn’t mean you aren’t good enough. I question myself daily, asking myself if I were to change an attribute about me would that make me more appealing to the opposite gender. I contemplate the limits I can go to get the attention of someone. It is when I embarrass myself when I realize that all I really need in life are the people around me who love me. The time will come for relationships, but for right now I am perfectly happy with going out with friends and living life to the fullest. So no, I won’t be getting a kiss on New Year’s Eve, but I am ok with that.