I agree with esquiress. In one word: FREEDOM!! I was with someone six years and let me say, I enjoy being single as much as I did being part of a couple.
I love having final say in everything, trivial or not: choosing the food, the bedtime, the decor, the outings, the movie. I love spending time by myself. I am the best company :) I love not having a commitment but still reaping the rewards - wining, dining, new shows, movies, smooching, etc. etc. ;) I love the endless possibilities that await me. I love flirting back and not feeling remorseful. I love having time to do the things I really love to do. I love doing whatever I want with my money without fear of being judged. I love the lack of drama - no one's feelings are getting hurt, no one is compromising, no one is talking about "the future".
I was at a party last wkd and I must've talked/flirted w/20 guys, danced with three and smooched one. The best part is not having to ever see any of them again. Haven't had fun like that in a while!
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http://v247.tumblr.com One cannot perceive beauty, but with a serene mind -Thoreau
I love this thread! Thanks for all your answers ladies.. Ok - here's mine:
1) Not having someone messing up my things! This bears repeating: NO ONE TOUCHING MY STUFF - I did not realize how much I hate this until this year, when I no longer come home to a new mess every night - mysterious stains on the couch, a brozen zipper on my Jeep window, documents stamped "IMPORTANT - IRS" stuffed in the trash with the junk mail - now there's no gross sweaty boy rolling in my sheets and making them feel icky even when they were just changed the day before - no gross sweaty boy scratching his balls on the couch - no gross sweaty boy leaving dirty dishes all over the house (and even hidden UNDER THE KITCHEN SINK) - Y'all, my ex was a damn slob! Now my house is a zen haven, always vacuumed, always clean, always smelling good. It's lonely, but I had no idea how much nice space affects how you feel about life.
2) Realizing that I get hit on all the time - everyone flirts! It's funny how when you're in a relationship you don't see it at all... So now it's this whole new world and even ordering coffee is fun every morning. I love watching the guys get all nervous and excited about talking to a cute girl. Hell, I love being a cute girl instead of someone's mom (I'm not literally a mom - I just felt like my exes' mother)
3) Not having to take care of someone else. Not having to answer to someone else. Not having to deal with someone else's shit. I had no idea how often my life was consumed by "Jon, you have to do blah blah blah...or some bad thing will happen..." Then he wouldn't do it and I would nag and nag and nag and then the bad thing would happen and I would yell at him and then I'd have to fix it and it was all this huge drama cycle that is just GONE now.
4) Having more options. Before, I had to stay in a certain area of the country, and configure my life around what he was willing to do. Now I can just pick whatever I want - anything that sounds fun - and there's no one else to worry about.
I agree with everything everyone else said. I'd like to add:
~ Not having to comfort anyone else (I HATE a SO's drama - can't stand the whining, the crying, the anger, etc.) and I don't have to deal with anyone but me now. This sounds really selfish but it's true. I don't mind helping friends or "being there" but I can't stand being one person's sole source of support.
~ Having "me" time. I get home in the evenings and if I want, I don't have to interact with anyone else. There's no one there to bug me or to insist I run errands with, etc.
~ Doing whatever the hell I feel like! Yeah! If I want to watch stupid tv shows, I don't have the hear it. If I want to listen to crappy dance pop on the stereo while I get ready in the morning, good for me. If I want to drink wine and read a book wearing nothing, I don't have to worry about fighting someone off. It's heavenly!
~ My friends. Being single allows you to cultivate and focus on friendships, rather than boy/girl relationships. It's probably the single best thing about being single.
~ Beauty. I get to focus on me. I have time to take bubble baths, to give myself a facial, deep condition, etc.
~ I'm more of a whole person. I have hobbies and interests I get to focus on instead of a boy. I have thoughts about real things and real conversations - all because I don't have to spend so much of my time concerned with someone else or thinking about the relationship.
~ Drinking, dancing, smooching, living it up!!!! There's no party like a single party - fo' sure!