Third-wheeling with your couple-friends sucks, right? Sure, I’m really happy for you, and at the same time, please stop rubbing your relationship on my face. There will always be that one friend that is the one, the only single friend, and unfavorably, what if it’s you?
Have you been invited by your friends to casually go out, have a nightlife in your favorite bar, have dinner on your squad’s spot, or go road-trippin’ out of town? And ever wonder, you’re the only one without a plus one. It feels horrible, I know. Been there, done that. You guys are talking about wedding bells, unforgettable dates, favorite kisses, sex positions, and all romance! And you can’t even add up some teas about these topics — and romance wasn’t really on your list.
To be honest, it makes me vomit. But no, you shouldn’t be that only single friend, that is so bitter. If you are, I bet you’ll be patted on your shoulders and be told that’s okay, everything will fall into place, you’ll find your ‘the one’ too. Pity pat-ty boppity boo.
I know you already tried changing your Facebook status from single to in a relationship, multiple times. But aren’t you tired that it always ends up as an “it’s complicated” one? How many failed Tinder dates should you meet? How many double dates with a friend of a friend should make you cringe? How many hit-me-up’s will you send on random numbers you get from a night out? It’s like, tomorrow will be another episode of your endless trials. It’s not all bad to try and try, but you’re just gonna end up trying tired instead of trying hard. And being tired and broken will just make you a pessimist trying to get rid of all of the sweetness and romance, rainbows and glitters, and a pocketful of sunshine you walk by. Nobody wants that bitter friend.
Instead of being that bitter friend, should you just accept that you are driving alone, for now? Honestly, riding solo doesn’t seem so bad, like, at all! Right? If you believe that you are the ‘cool friend’, cool single friend, then you have nothing to worry about. I bet you can lead your amazing young-adult life the way you planned it just the way you want it. I’m not saying give up on finding your romance, just, take it slowly. Enjoy the process, don’t load yourself too much. But whilst you are in that process, take note of some positive privileges or perks that being that single friend has.
- Flyin’ Solo
What defeats a babe time? It’s Me-Time! Spending some quality time, alone, pampering yourself, spoiling your wants, treating yourself out. That’s it. You now have the time to tick some boxes from your bucket list. We are now in that era where most people grind for their careers or their jobs or businesses and add up your constant craving for your special someone. That surely burned some bridges for you to appreciate yourself more.
Normalize flyin’ solo on everything — have you tried watching the movies, alone? Popcorn and drinks are all at one cost! Also, traveling alone isn’t that bad! You have all the time to self-reflect while enjoying and exploring different places you desire. Plus, there’s a lot of things you can save on the side when traveling alone — bigger financial control, you can change your plans in a snap, and you can do everything you want, seizing the whole day. A lot more things to seize by yourself, and on your way, there you can meet new friends or maybe ‘the one’.
2. Hooks & No Strings
Your twenties are supposed to be your decade of “exploration” and “growth” — but this doesn’t only mean wholesome. You should explore your career and your sexuality at the same time. You can actually make use of your failed Tinder Dates, turn it into a ‘no-strings-attached’, one-night thing. C’mon, it’s 2021 already, that is truly acceptable! You can have all the pleasure you want, experimental or not, without having a commitment to someone. But do this at your own risk — emotionally, mentally & by health!
3. Family First
You get to treat your family, have some quality bonding time with them, as they will always be your safe haven. I know adulting should teach us to be independent, and out of our parent's homes but that doesn’t mean you’ll be moving away from them. Especially in our country, where family always comes first — you should always deliver your message of how much you care and love them, and pampering them and spending some time with them is one of the many ways. Go on an out-of-town or country trip with them, spend your Sundays on an amusement park, dinner & movies weekly, etc.
4. Mr./Ms. Financial Advisor
Some people really do value their money so much — they carefully use it and as much as possible they save half of what they earn on their accounts. It’s actually good, to have those numbers on your account. And being single actually can help you do this. Lesser hundred-bucks dinners from restaurant reservations, lesser clothes shopping every time you get on a date, lesser gas money for a distant date, in short — lesser dating expenses! You get to save bigger than what a dating person could save cause you have lesser miscellaneous expenses. It makes you a wiser money-saver.
5. Being the Love Guru
Of course, being the only single friend in your circle will spare you a lot of relationship heartaches. Well, it might be annoying hearing your friends crying for the same reasons all over again, but good thing you’re there. You’re gonna be their favorite friend as you go Dr. Love over them. You might not have a lot of failed relationships to relate with, but being with them, comforting them, telling them I told you so's, and giving them a lot of love and life advice. How do they get up? How do they learn from their mistakes? How do they move on? How do they stop crying about it? Believe me, you are single but you have all the answers they want to hear. You are the perfect friend and they know how much you love them.
6. You’re the Best Friend
You’re going to be everybody’s best friend. Couples to couples don’t really seem to be a best friend thing, but yeah, most of your couple friends will refer to you as their best friend. You’ll be the one they want to call when there’s trouble, heartaches & breakups, gossips & teas, party invitation and all. And lastly, you are your own best friend. You have this amazing circle of best friends, but you will and you should love treating yourself as your own best friend, bettering yourself and man, you’ll have your friends saying, who would not want to date the best person in the world? Right?
Aside from our top picks, there are still some of the perks of being single that is underrated and important to be listed:
- Sleep is life! You don’t need to rush waking up early to prep for a date or something, you don’t need to track your time on when and where (and maybe who) are you dating. All of your time is yours and for your sleep only.
- Guys hate it when they’ll have to shave their beards and mustache just to impress some girl. Also them girls with their very little pit hairs — and bikini waxing! Guys & Girls won’t like to put out with their pubes on. No shaving urgency, no shave cuts.
- You are 100% free to check out cute girls and guys. Saw someone cute from lunch, from work, from the party? Dm!
- Your fridge will not be out of stock in a week. Bruh, that’s a lesser grocery expense! Except, if you have your friends over.
- You will not need to update someone from time to time on what are you doing, where are you going, and whatnot like a fourteen-year-old high school student. You live your own life.
And a lot more. The list could go on, but it might make you want to be single forever. And that is not the plan. This is not to tell you go, be single forever but these are just a list of why being single for now is not a big problem at all. You’ll just need to wait for the right person, as it comes at the right time. And having that perfect timing with someone will spare you all the shitty heartbreaks and crying drunk nights. For now, enjoy it while it lasts!
