Don’t be SAD, its single awareness day, the day where we can bask in the glow of the post valentines breakups, smile at the disappointment of those who had a cold meal at an overcrowded restaurant chain. We have the right to cringe at soppy Facebook posts that try too hard to declare their never fading love to the public eye when we all know that they’re one fight away from the breakup of the century.
At 25, when people find out how long I’ve been single for, I see the look of pity flash across their eyes. They ask me why and if I’m okay and proceed to tell me how great their life is now that they’ve found someone that “completes” them.
From my past relationships, I know that people do not, “complete you”. They try to change you, make you right for them. I know who I am. I’m happy with who I am. I don’t need someone to improve me, to help me live my best life. I’m already living it.
“I’ve never really understood people’s tendency to replay: ‘aww’ when I say I’m single. I really enjoy time to myself, to the point where going for food by myself is ideal- some people may call it sad, but I call it bliss. Thus far, other then my best mates, no one’s really been interesting enough to speed time with (would probably be easier if I was gay).” Mr Ashmore told Truthfal.
Friendships are easy for the most part. They can be distressing, but they won’t end in a raging ball of fire.
When you’re single you’re free to do what you wish without fare of upsetting your other half. Not too long ago there was a viral video of a man trying to smuggle different types of animal products into the food shop, but every time he got caught by his girlfriend and he was told off like a misbehaving four-year-old.
It’s not healthy to have someone controlling your life, no matter how small the part they are controlling. Coming as a person that has been in an emotionally abusive relationship, I know how damaging these behaviours can be and how quickly they can escalate.
“I can make decisions without checking with someone first. I don’t have to worry about upsetting him because I’ve not replied to his messages,” Miss Ormstrom told us, “I’m not tied down to anyone”.
Single awareness day. For me, it doesn’t sound right. Are people not aware that people are single? According to The Office of National Statistics in 2014, there were 121,900 “single” people in Cornwall alone. I am pretty sure people are aware of us.
The name also strikes an ill feeling. Normally the turn awareness day is given to people in need or important issues. To raise awareness.
We are single, not ill, not in need. We don’t need a fundraiser or for people to feel sorry for us. Do we even need a day? Being single is fine, normal. It’s part of the day to day life for people all over the world.
We don’t need a day, we’re happy to be in our own company, left alone to be ourselves. We don’t need to indulge in a day of self-love because we love ourselves every day.
Words from a fellow singleton, “You don’t need the attention of one individual to give you worth when you’ve got friends who let you know how important you are every day.”
However, just remember when you go ranting to your friends about your own hatred for valentines day, just take a moment to stop and think, some of your friends might actually celebrate their love for each other. They might like buying pointless gifts, large boxes of chocolates and of course overstuffed fluffy animals all topped with a sickly sweet card, that will most likely be thrown in the bin at the end of the week.
But I suppose you can say that we are the lucky ones, not putting money into this overpriced, over commercialised holiday that helps to add more plastic into the seas, encourages the slave trade and poor work conditions for those that are living in the third world.
We don’t need someone to tell us that they love us nor do we need to be draped with meaningless gifts, at the end of the day we can walk around with our heads held high, knowing that we haven’t added to the pollution problem, we might have saved kids fingers.
We might not be loved or we might not want to be bombarded with cards and chocolate. We are happy, we love ourselves and at the end of the day that’s what matters.