Yes, I am single, and no, this is not me being bitter about it. I am happy being single and excited to see where life is taking me. I have never been the kind to have been in many relationships. That used to bother me for the longest time. Anytime I would see a couple I would be jealous of what they seemed to have. "Seemed to have" is the important part of that sentence. We can never truly know what is going on in people's relationships, which is how it should be; however, no one wants to think about the fights and struggles that a couple is going through. We only see their happy and loving sides and immediately crave it.

Recently I have come to the realization that being single is not a bad thing. Society has made it seem like you can't be happy without being in a relationship, which is totally and completely false. In fact, being single is a gift. It gives you time to yourself. You have time to go out and meet new people and create friendships. In addition, it allows you to explore the world more and figure out what you want to do with your life. You are able to start a career and make contacts in the field that you want to work in. However, in a relationship, you may not have as much free time to yourself or the time you can dedicate to others. Once you are in a relationship, you are soon so caught up in that person. You can't imagine spending time away from them because you want to be with them. This in and of itself is not a bad thing, neither is being in a relationship in college, but it does take your focus away from other things.

Being single does not mean that you are any less of a person. It doesn't mean that you aren't wanted or not loved. You are not defined by another person. You are your own separate being. College is a time when you can find out what it is that you want to do and who you are at your core. You don't need to be in a relationship to do that. Relationships are distracting, and if you are not careful, they can be dangerous. You invest time and energy into a relationship and if you happen to be doing that with someone who is destructive and toxic, it can mess up a person. It can distract you from the other things that life has to offer. When being single, you can also discover the type of person you want to be with. You shouldn't spend all of your single years looking for a relationship. You are bound to find someone eventually, and once that happens, you'll have your whole life to be with them, so use this time wisely and enjoy it.

There is so much more to life than falling in love. Loving someone is not all sunshine and rainbows. There are hard times involved. You can be doing so much with your life while in college. You don't want to spend your whole college years being in and out of relationships. Just go out and have a great time with friends. You can form platonic relationships and maybe they'll eventually turn into something more, but don't go into it with that mindset. If it happens then it will happen. Don't put your life on hold waiting for love. Being single is much better than being with the wrong person. There is so much freedom in being single, so enjoy it while you can.