Here's to Finding a Good Man...

I don't like Valentine's Day. I just don't. In the interest of being completely honest, it is because I don't care to have a 24-hour reminder that I am currently not in a relationship, or that I don't have a date. I have listened to colleagues and friends, and even parents, request advice on what gifts to give, where to go for a romantic evening, etc…everyone so stressed out over making sure that everything is just perfect for 1 single day out of the 365 we have in a year. And for the record, I am not speaking from a place of sour grapes…I LOVE seeing the people in my life happily in love! It gives me such joy and peace to see my girlfriends involved in healthy,loving relationships…and I have had some really great Valentine’s days as well. My first college boyfriend , Tyler, really hit a home-run, complete with my absolute favorite Thai take-out from one of the best Thai places in downtown Birmingham, AL., a ‘Sex and the City’ marathon and the largest most expensive bath and body set I have ever laid my eyes on even to this day (yes, I was spoiled). But Valentine’s would not be complete without a single-girl rant…so here is mine:


The Top 6 Excellent Privileges Afforded to Single People (according to Emily Elizabeth):

    1) When single, you don’t have to worry about censoring yourself, while cheering against your significant other’s teams….I have dated a Yankees fan and a Saints fan. As a hard-core Red Sox and Cowboys supporter, this annoyed me. Greatly.
    2) There is never any shame about your television choices when you are single. This means that while wasting a Saturday on my couch, I don’t have to covertly change the channel when hypothetical significant other enters the room…if I really want to watch a ‘Hannah Montana’ marathon, by God, I can. And furthermore, if I want to fall asleep with the TV on, while watching ‘Operation Repo’ I can do that too!
    3) Those embarrassing foodie habits. We all have them. I will even be brave and tell you mine: I make a dip that is to die for…salsa, sour cream and grated cheddar cheese. That’s it. With tortilla chips. Sounds nasty and looks worse, but I could eat it all day, and there is no one around to make fun of me or make that squishy, “I can’t believe you are REALLY eating that” face. For the record, I call my masterpiece, Red-Neck Dip.
    4) Your car is your own. This past weekend, I cleaned my car out and found 2 pairs of cowboy boots, 5 socks, 3 foam flip-flops (courtesy of the nail salon), 1 coffee mug and 4 books. If I had a man in my life, I would constantly be worried about how embarrassing it would be to have someone see that kind of mess!
    5) I can openly voice my opinion about how absolutely handsome I think certain players are (Cowboys only, of course). Better yet, I don’t have to pretend to believe that line about how the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, ‘aren’t THAT hot...”…they are, and gentlemen, we know it…don’t lie, it’s just a further insult. But ‘A’ for effort!
*#5 can be applied to actors/actresses, singers, etc., if you’re not a sports fan …
    6) Flying solo also means you don’t have to fake laugh at that joke, you just don’t get. Or fake being impressed by the overpriced restaurant that clearly is not a delicious as a burger and shake from the Purple Cow. Or fake a friendship with all of their friends (be honest, just because you love them, does NOT mean you love their roommates). Or fake excitement that the newest version of whatever game it is that they are obsessed with is being released. Or fake interest in that one story you have already heard about 10 times...you know what I am talking about...'Lemme tell you about that one time when so-and-so and I did that one thing at that place, blah-blah-blah...'. In general, being single cuts out a lot of faking. Period.


Out of curiosity, I polled my single girlfriends and asked them what the top 5 privileges of being single were in their eyes. Only one of my friends is single. Yeah. We would start a club but we don’t have enough members to have a voting majority…


Here’s Tegan’s list:


1) Freedom
2) Girls Weekends with no Strings Attached
3) You can dream about other guys and get caught up in romantic books without feeling guilty
4) You are able to get excited when you see a cute guy and blush
5) You can have lots of fun guy friends and it is ok!
She included graphics as well, to illustrate her point…

I am not bitter (usually) and if the right guys asks for a date, I will say yes! The point is, I am single and it is Valentine’s Day. Yet, I still received jewelry, am still getting taken out for a delicious dinner, and still am cuddling up with an absolutely adorable boy tonight…my friend is a jewelry rep who sent me gorgeous pieces last week, my mother and father are hosting dinner out this evening, and my puppy loves me unconditionally…he even takes up all the room in the bed and snores, just like a real man…


So to all my other single ladies out there…someday your prince will come…don’t rush it…I’ve heard he is worth the wait. To all my attached ladies out there…thank you for always reminding me that he is worth the wait…