My name is Jessica and I’m single as a Pringle.

Wait. That’s a stupid saying. Pringles are always together. They’re packaged one on top of the other and let’s be real: who eats just one Pringle?

My name is Jessica and I’m single and ready to mingle.

Well, that’s not true either. You see, I’m an introvert so mingling and small talk isn’t really my forte.

My name is Jessica. Stop asking me how I’m still single. I don’t ask you how you’re still married.

Yes. Trust me. I am aware that I’m still single. I don’t need you to remind me.

My name is Jessica and I’m romantically challenged.

Um not really. People just don’t see me like that. I can be romantic if I’m given the chance.

We live in a world where being single is a disease people are afraid of catching. If I don’t have someone who is attached to me 24/7, I might just die. The only reason someone would want to be single is so they can go around sleeping with whoever they want, which does not sound appealing to me.

Every time I log onto Facebook, I’m bombarded by “relationship goals,” people whining about their significant other, and even more people getting engaged or married. My personal favorite is when the occasional blog post pops up trying to comfort the singles by explaining that they’re too good to waste themselves dating.

Even off of Facebook, the world wants me with another person. Every day for the past month (give or take), I’ve had to endure at least one conversation with someone about either sex or marriage or relationships or sometimes a mixture of all three. Every time these subjects come up, it feels like someone is twisting the knife in my heart by reminding me that I have none of those things and may never have the opportunity to experience them.

People tell me that I have time. Be patient. Wait. You’re still young. And yeah, I know. But that doesn’t change how frustrating it is to watch the better chunk of your friends find someone to spend their time with. There are people younger than me getting married to the love of their life. The more people I know who get together, the less people I have singleness in common with.

Yeah, there’s some great things about being single: you don’t have to build your life around someone else’s, you get to work on yourself and your friendships, plus introverts get more time to themselves. But let’s be real for a minute. Being single can suck.

Being single looks different for everyone but in my experience, it's pretty consistent. Being single means showing up to weddings alone. Being single means staying in on “date nights.” Being single means crying yourself to sleep wondering if there’s something wrong with you. Being single means watching the rest of your generation grow up and move on without you.

It’s OK to admit that being alone hurts. It hurts to watch your favorite people to hang out with start dating, get engaged, get married, and live the life you want. It hurts to want something so bad but know that now is not the time and here is not the place.

This is normally the part of the blog where the writer over-spiritualizes the problem and takes a verse or two out of context to support their claim. I’m not going to do that. I could, but I won’t. I want everyone out there who is single (Christian or not) to know its OK to not be thrilled about your relationship status or rather, the lack thereof. It’s ok to acknowledge the pain that comes with it. What isn’t ok is letting it rule your life. There’s more to life than romantic love.

Enjoy the people who are in your life now, enjoy your current life situation, enjoy the freedom of singleness. If there is a time when you aren’t single anymore, you’ll appreciate it that much more having acknowledged and worked through the pain.