Top 20 Reasons Why Being Single Is The Best.

1. You get to pick which movie to see every time you go the theater. Ryan Gosling, here I come.

2. You save so much money on makeup.

3. You really have a chance to work on expanding your flannel pajama collection.

4. You finally get some good use out of that old library card. 122 books later, and you're definitely a more attractive option to potential suitors.

5. You can get back to your roots by skipping things like shaving your legs or plucking your eyebrows.

6. You have more than enough time to catch up on all your favorite shows....plus every other show or movie available to watch instantly on Netflix.

7. You get the best spot on the couch when you're watching TV, everytime. Hell, you can take up the WHOLE Goddamn couch, because you're definitely not expecting company any time soon.

8. Getting in touch with your inner Taylor Swift.

9. On Valentine's Day, you're totally off the hook for coming up with something cute or romantic to do for the one you love. Because you have no one to love. At all.

10. Getting reacquainted with white wine and Cosmo.

11. Rediscovering your love of cats. Especially large quantities of cats. The more the better.

12. Eating ice cream for dinner. Go ahead and eat it straight out of the carton too. Fuck bowls. Aint nobody got time for that!

13. Really making the most of your unlimited cell phone minutes by calling all of your girlfriends. Every day. Twice.

14. Discover new music by Googling "Best songs to cry to"

15. Heartfelt conversations with the grocery store check out girl, the pizza delivery guy, and the automated teller at your bank's 24 hour customer service line.

16. Honing those unrequited love poem skills you thought you'd forgotten after middle school.

17. A new found appreciation for the subtle art of stalking.

18. Weight gain makes your boobs bigger. Just sayin'

19. Having time for all the DIY projects on Pinterest. Toilet paper roll art? No problem. Wine cork Christmas wreath? Absolutely. Painting every single wall in your house with chalkboard paint? Bring. It. On.

20. Two words: yoga pants.

Being Alone

This park is near my office.

On days when I am responsible enough to remember to bring my lunch, I grab a book and my food and come here. I sit under this tree and eat, and read and watch the ducks waddle around.

They don't mind me and I don't mind them.

I people watch, making up stories about the people I see.

The couple meeting for lunch, the two old ladies walking around together, the women with their children, and the ones who, like me, are there alone.

It's a simple thing, but it makes me so happy. I come back to work in such a better mood. It's finally nice outside in the middle of the day, and sitting under a tree between two big beautiful fountains with a book and a sadwich is pretty perfect.

Not long ago, this is something that would have made me a little sad to do by myself.

Now, I don't think I would invite anyone to come along. At least not most days.

It's quiet and it's cool and I'm starting to like being alone. At least more than I used to.

I think for a long time I depended on other people for my own happiness quite a bit. I wanted people around me, I needed people to talk to, I wanted someone to spend the majority of my time with who wasn't a toddler.

But I'm learning to make myself happy on my own.

Not that I don't need anyone, that's ridiculous.

Everybody needs somebody sometimes and anyone who says they don't is a damn liar.

It's more that I'm alone more these days because I choose to be, not because there was no one to hang out with. And if there's something that will make me happy, I usually just go and do it, or think it or say it myself, rather than waiting and hoping someone else will come with me, or say what I need to hear.

So far, I'm pretty happy.

I still need to be held sometimes.

I still need to be told that everything will be OK sometimes.

But I'm trying to learn to make everything OK on my own, and make myself happy regardless of who's coming or going in my life at the time.

I've learned too many important people can be far too temporary.

Feelings change, needs change, people leave.

I'll always be here with myself though, so I'm learning to be OK with that during the times when that's all there is.

Just me.