29 replies to this topic

[Landlocked Dive Nut]

1. You get to go wherever you want and do whatever you want on vacation. If you hate cold weather, you don't have to risk losing toes to frostbite just because your sweetie is a ski buff. And once you get wherever you're going, if you decide to stay in the hotel room all weekend with room service and an on-site masseuse while ignoring the historic blah blah blahs? No problem... Nobody's gonna know!

2. You get to sing out loud — badly, without embarrassment — to your iTunes whenever you're home.

3. The remote control is all yours, all the time. And you don't have to worry about anyone else making fun of you because it's switched to Lifetime or hours of NASCAR coverage.

4. You can comfortably put up that Star Wars poster you've had since you were a kid or paint the bathroom walls petal-pink—after all, decorating isn't a team sport.

5. Your friends all instinctively make you their "...and guest" when they go to an event. You get prime invites to concerts (especially popular during the summer), weddings (ditto) and other ticketed events every time someone's significant other has to bail.

6. You get to indulge all of your interests, no matter how bizarre, without negotiating. That means you can hole up with piles of true-crime books or drive an hour for the fairy exhibit at a nearby museum without ever having to explain yourself.

7. You can try all five of Cold Stone Creamery's July-only flavors... twice... before noon... and not have to hide the fact that you ruined your appetite for lunch.

8. When you get to the front of the line at Blockbuster, you know with certainty that you're not going to have to pay someone else's late fees for a movie you'd never watch.

9. You never, ever have to look over your shoulder before drinking straight from the milk carton. In fact, being single means you can leave the toilet seat up, the toothpaste cap off and your dirty undies on the bathroom floor. Let your inner slob run free!

10. You get to go to parties and barbecues without worrying that the person you lugged with you is bored, annoyed, or getting embarrassingly drunk. (And you get to flirt with every hot prospect there!)

11. If a sexy, brooding plumber with a mysterious past moves in next door and captures the attention of all the local ladies, you don't have to agonize over whether or not to leave your mate to pursue your one shot at true love. If things click, you're untethered, and it's game on, toilet boy! (For guys, substitute a pair of sexy blonde cheerleader twins for the brooding plumber.)

12. Nobody ever hogs your side of the bed, steals your covers, wakes you up with freezer-toes or flops his or her sweaty night-bod on you. And every single night, you nod off knowing that you're in the company of someone who really loves you.

You're welcome to add your favorite reasons for celebrating being single to this list! Personally, I like #7!!!

[cat fish]

On a more serious note (although what's more serious than ice cream??)....
13. Being single has let me reflect on the fact that singles sometimes encounter bias in this two-by-two world, although it does not have to be that way, since singles tend to be just as funny, interesting, smart, and ethical as those in the coupled world. If my single state ever changes, I will remember these very things, and my single friends will remain as special and welcome in my new world as they are today. I vow to never use the word "couple" as a weapon to keep others out. Being single has let me more fully understand this, and I am grateful for the knowledge.

[Hipshot]

Numbers 1 & 12 are undeniable truisms, and #13 raises a very good point.

Rick



Men do not differ much about what things they will call evils; they differ enormously about what evils they will call excusable. - G.K. Chesterton

[drbill]

Having had the "benefit" of a pair of sexy (and intelligent) blonde twins in my life (25 years apart), I concur with #11. However, #13 rings very true. I'm amazed at how many parties I'm excluded from because I don't have a mate and most of my friends are of the married persuasion.

[BeachJunkie]

# 14. You can go on SD trips and dress up as the most ridiculous thing you can think of and not have to worry about embarrassing anyone but yourself!!

# 15. No Drama! Seriously... that part is awesome!

I do agree that the whole couple thing tends to exclude us single folks from certain things but I still enjoy smiling ear to ear when the phone rings and "the look" comes across a friends face as they feel the choke collar pull tight and they have to go. I just smile and thank them for their portion of the beer I'm about to consume.

[Dive Burro]

My default setting is a smile, and being single - while not optimal - will never change that. Life to me is kinda like being married to this beautiful, amazingly brilliant woman who just also happens to be a little crazy.....but she looks at you in a certain way often enough that the whole thing's worth it. It's just this great and secret show, and I'm not about to go around trying to turn the diamonds into coal.

Edited by Dive Burro, 04 July 2009 - 10:37 AM.

[Hammered Head]

16. cuz "it's all about me" is just easier when it's....well....er...just ME!!

[weescot]

17. You never have to discuss or debate where your next dive holiday should be

12. Doesn't apply to me however - I have a 8 month kitten - he curls up right next to me despite having the whole bed to share...

Generally I find my married friends think singles are out having fun all the time, and many of my single friends think it is only married couples that get all the ivites to parties and socials as they are "couples". Personally, I just live each day to the full and make sure I have fun doing so! Preferably diving.....

Edited by weescot, 04 July 2009 - 12:31 PM.

[WreckWench]

16. cuz "it's all about me" is just easier when it's....well....er...just ME!!

Yup....and you aren't even

Trust me...it was even easier for me being to be all about ME!

[WreckWench]

17. You never have to discuss or debate where your next dive holiday should be

Truer words have never been written...however if you are really good or lucky...even if your status changes...you still get to choose where your next diving holiday will be!

[WreckWench]

My default setting is a smile, and being single - while not optimal - will never change that. Life to me is kinda like being married to this beautiful, amazingly brilliant woman who just also happens to be a little crazy.....but she looks at you in a certain way often enough that the whole thing's worth it. It's just this great and secret show, and I'm not about to go around trying to turn the diamonds into coal.

Darling...with that attitude...you won't be single for long! And keep hanging out here and you'll probably meet the kind of women you've been dreaming about all your life. Afterall we dive because its OUR passion...not someone else's. We pay for our own gear and trips. And we know how important ultimately sharing a sunset with someone you care for can be...but we certainly won't miss one just because we haven't met that special person yet!

I do think that too many single people are unhappy about their status. And unhappy people attract other unhappy people. Being single is a liberating and joyous time to prepare to be the best person you can be. And if you prepare properly...you just may find someone else who has been preparing for you!

[WreckWench]

# 14. You can go on SD trips and dress up as the most ridiculous thing you can think of and not have to worry about embarrassing anyone but yourself!!

# 15. No Drama! Seriously... that part is awesome!

I do agree that the whole couple thing tends to exclude us single folks from certain things but I still enjoy smiling ear to ear when the phone rings and "the look" comes across a friends face as they feel the choke collar pull tight and they have to go. I just smile and thank them for their portion of the beer I'm about to consume.

Sam Sam Sam...you do have a way with words! I will say that life is full of drama...even when you are single but it sure is easier to deal with when encountered in a single status. Afterall... if you ain't being shot at...its a great day right?

Of course being the eternal optimist...ALWAYS works whether single or married!

and "the look" comes across a friends face as they feel the choke collar pull tight and they have to go. I just smile and thank them for their portion of the beer I'm about to consume.

[Landlocked Dive Nut]

Being single is a liberating and joyous time to prepare to be the best person you can be.

Well said!

I've spent the past year learning who I am as an individual.....personal growth, expanding my horizons and trying new things, working on my personal self-esteem, etc. etc. I have to say, I've become a happier and more outgoing person than I've ever been, and it shows.

Our society is geared towards couple-dom in lots of ways, but there is no reason to be unhappy with the single status....after all, there are many MILLIONS of single people in the world!

But to get into those "couples" parties, just find a good single friend who will be willing to team up with you for parties, and drop hints around to the couples who have parties that you'd like to be invited!

[drbill]

17. You never have to discuss or debate where your next dive holiday should be

Ha, weescot... I'm a Gemini so there is a constant debate on where the next trip will be (and my bank account also gets a say... much too big a one)!

Edited by drbill, 05 July 2009 - 10:07 AM.

[weescot]

17. You never have to discuss or debate where your next dive holiday should be

Truer words have never been written...however if you are really good or lucky...even if your status changes...you still get to choose where your next diving holiday will be!

..I hope this doesn't just apply to diving

I do think that too many single people are unhappy about their status. And unhappy people attract other unhappy people.

I think quite a few people are unhappy single - I come across them all the time, and they tend to be in their mid-late30's. When I was in my 30's I was too I suppose, just because I had all the usual pressures (career, mortgage ladder etc) which couples tend to have the advantage of sharing. But as soon as my 40's arrived, the pressures seemed to ease up, and so did I. And I learnt to dive

Ha, weescot... I'm a Gemini so there is a constant debate on where the next trip will be (and my bank account also gets a say... much too big a one)!

Where do you have it? In your bathroom mirror