For many, Valentine's Day will bring jewelry or a power tool. At the very least, a card or a stuffed hedgehog holding a heart that says "Be Mine" will show up sometime, a reminder that somebody cares enough to pay attention to the hype that says they'd better pay attention. Whether they want to or not. Whether they're happy in their relationship or not. Whether they, themselves, remember their sweetheart or not.
For others, the day is a reminder that this year will be yet another spent in the company of one very special, dependable, reasonably good-looking and really quite cool person with great taste: Themselves.
It's not so bad to be single, though it's not so much fun to be reminded constantly of your unpaired status through the hearts and flowers and cards and chocolates that dominate the landscape (under the snow and ice). Still, there are reasons to celebrate singlehood, and we're here to remind you that being by yourself does, at the very least, put you in good company.
Here are 10 more reasons to be glad you're by yourself:
1. The invitations you receive are because you're you, not because you're so-and-so's S.O., or because the party-giver has a crush on your man. Your name is your own, and no effort need be put forth toward mashing together some Brangelina-type moniker. That kind of stuff often backfires, anyway: Blair and Bob (whoever they are) really resent being called "Blob."
2. Your spare time is your spare time. Spend it with Ben & Jerry, your pillow, a night's marathon of taped Dr. Phil, re-reading an old Harlequin or hours of World of Warcraft. Nobody's around to judge; nobody's calling to find out how you're doing or what you're up to. Saving the world is always an option, but if the couch beckons tonight, there's nobody to tell you it's time to work out.
3. Your money is your own. Spending $120 on face cream or chrome polish for your Harley isn't going to raise anybody's eyebrows or ruin anyone else's plans. You earned it, so you spend it. Or save it — another plus: Nobody's going to spend your money out from under you, either.
4. Introspection has one focus: You. Not you in relationship to somebody else, and not you in terms of how somebody else thinks you should be. You're alone, and whether it's by choice or by luck (good or bad), you've got time to think about the one person that matters.
5. Your dog can sleep on the bed. Face it: There's always one person in every couple who thinks dogs belong on the floor — if only those people would find each other to sleep with, the rest of us could sleep with our dogs. And dogs, though they may snore and smell and chase rabbits in their dreams, never ever complain about morning breath.
6. There's no need to dress up, tuck in, wash carefully or smile when you don't want to. After a long day at work, you're home and all bets — and belts — are off. The stomach relaxes, the hair droops, the toenails get cut. Wear what you find on the floor, as long as it's comfortable. Who's going to know?
7. Plans are constantly in flux — if that's the way you want it. He took the day off, so the trip to the Newport Aquarium is not an option. It's a plan, worked out and agreed upon and subject to change only under threat of breakup. Which, when you think about it, might be worth considering.
8. Nobody's going to buy you roses when you've always loved tulips. You've mentioned your aversion to roses dozens of times, but once you're a couple the listening stops, and roses it is. Roses are easy.
9. You're not about to get dumped. Think about it.
10. Finally, there's this piece of wisdom that turns up on blogs and T-shirt and bumper-stickers wherever single people can be found: It's better to be alone than to wish you were.
