I've spent the last year of my life lonely. Single. One unit. A lone ranger, some may call me. I went to the movies by myself. I third wheeled it with my friends. I stood in the single rider line for roller coasters at Frontier City and, of course, I spent copious amounts of nights binge watching Netflix by myself.

I've never been happier.

Prior to me being "alone," I was stuck in a disgusting and very unhealthy relationship. It was full of toxic vibes and late nights of screaming at each other on the telephone. My normal Friday night was sitting at home waiting on my boyfriend to get home from hanging out with his friends, miserable and almost sick to my stomach at the thought of what he was out doing. I would drive myself crazy sitting in an apartment, constantly bickering with a man I swear I loved at one point.

Then, we hit a breaking point. We were just two different people. We sadly said our goodbyes, with many gruesome and stomach-churning fights along the way. We were both finally free. He could go do whatever he wanted, and I finally could too. I gave up the idea of having the white picket fence and two kids by the time I was 25, and I gave into the realization that life doesn't go as we plan it to, ever.

Once I was single, I found myself having more fun than I can ever remember having in my life. I got to see old friends I secluded myself from. I signed up for yoga classes. I dyed my hair red! I started going out a few nights out of the month, really fulfilling the "college" experience I had been isolated from for so long, finally feeling like I was really living. I'm not at all blaming him for the mindset I had put myself in, I'm just saying, it was a lot easier to change when I was on my own. I could mingle as I wanted. I could go out when I wanted to, and not see a single soul for the next month if I didn't want to. Having that kind of control over my own life was a feeling I had not felt in a long time.

I find that having more time for myself makes for a more productive life. I know others thrive in different environments; my habitat is solitude. I truly enjoy getting to spend time alone now. I find myself valuing the little things so much more. Truly stopping to smell the roses. I no longer found myself being scared or too insecure to try new things. If I wanted to go out, I got to go out! If I wanted to wear a short skirt, that's exactly what I was doing. The way a single girl feels once she is forced to embark out on her own is comparable to the freeing of a caged bird. I just want to go out into the world and explore all it has to offer.

I know this must seem so corny, that I have found such liberation in being able to sit in the background and be a spectator, but for someone who was so attached to someone else for so long, it truly is a breath of fresh air to be able to be happy, all by myself. Whether I'm curled up in bed reading a book or shaking my thang out at the club, I know that in the future, when looking for a partner, it will be someone who truly values me. It won't be a parasitic relationship of us draining the life out of each other, but more of a symbiotic relationship, where we mutually benefit and grow as people from it.

I find myself so excited for my future and whatever it decides to throw my way. I know that I will be able to handle it.

Yes, I do have a cat. So the future just might throw a few (dozen) more my way. And I'm totally okay with that.