7 Reasons Why Being Single is The Best

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Madison Choi

Being single after a three-year relationship has gifted me with a clear idea of the type of person I want to be with and the type of person I want to be when I meet him.

Being single after a three-year long relationship was daunting. I wondered how I would be able to function without maintaining my role as someone’s other half. But I quickly realized that being single in my early 20s is actually the best because of the seven reasons listed below in no particular order.

Flirt with all the guys – The best and worst part about being in a conventional relationship is that you and your significant other are off limits to everyone but each other. Commitment is a great feeling. Except when a guy admittedly hotter than your boyfriend is giving you a little extra attention. Instead of feeling restricted from letting my flirt flag fly or guilty for reciprocating a handsome stranger’s attention, single life allows me to bat my eyelashes and accept as many compliments as I want without having to answer to no man.

Be gross – To finally be openly disgusting after three years of succumbing to the underlying pressure to look cute – or at least human – on a regular basis is the greatest relief. My relationship beauty regimen including weekly leg shaving, full-body moisturizing, and the practice of keeping spare mints and body spray in my handbag was hurled quickly out the window.

Give some love to my girls – I pride myself on being the type of friend who doesn’t drop off the face of the Earth the second I enter into a relationship. In fact, I have one friend who would specifically ask to third wheel with my boyfriend and I because she loved how we were so fun and not obnoxious to be around. But the truth is, relationships are a time commitment and even if you make the conscious effort to hang out with friends, there won’t be enough time for them as there once was when you were single. Now every weekend is a girls’ weekend.

Be selfish – Relationships at the core are socially acceptable codependency. When experienced in a healthy way with the right person, this mutual reliance is good. But tailoring my entire life and future plans around someone else at my age was a mistake. Currently, I am waiting to hear the admission decisions from five graduate programs, all based on the mainland. I never would have considered this as an option if I was still with my ex, and the entirety of my simple life would have been spent on this rock.

Save money and lose weight – Being in a relationship sucked my wallet dry and left me with a muffin top. Hallelujah for not having to buy birthday, anniversary, Valentine’s Day, and Christmas gifts for the foreseeable future. And to the staff of the Pearl Kai Kuru Kuru, benefactors of of our dedicated patronage, it’s been too long.

Do what I want – My ex hated that I have a low key obsession with reality television and told me the reason he thinks he and his new girlfriend have a better shot at success (yes, he has a new girlfriend) is because she doesn’t watch “garbage”… but guess what? Bachelor Monday is much better without him.

Know what I want – Despite all the benefits that come with being single, my relationship was wonderful and extremely painful to move on from. But in the saddest moments since our breakup, I have always known that it was for the best. I now have a clear idea of not only the type of person that I want to be with, but the type of person I want to be when I finally meet him.

See, being single isn’t all that bad. Now celebrate your gross, flirtatious, independent self and have a dance party to Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” with your closest girl friends.