Ah, Valentine’s Day. A holiday that has stores stocking up on chocolates, stuffed animals, and thoughtful gifts usually aimed at couples. Of course, Valentine’s isn’t entirely about romance, seeing as we also celebrate the different kinds of love we have for the people in our lives, but it does make me reflect on my singleness. After all, I have been single for just over two years now.
For some brief context, I was in a relationship for about the first half of 2022. It was my first relationship after a string of questionable ones in high school. Those months seemed to pass in a rose-tinted haze, as we really were happy with each other. However, things ended less than amicably (though we’ve talked things out since then and are still in contact) and I have been officially single for two years and some change.
And, honestly? It hasn’t been awful.
While I miss having the constant presence of a partner, it’s also nice to have more time to myself. I can focus more on my hobbies—reading, writing, playing guitar, going on walks—and have really gotten busier in terms of extracurriculars. Currently, I practice taekwon-do and participate in my church’s choir. Not to mention uni-based activities, like working as a part of my scholarship, joining a group that mentors exchange students, and continuing my role as an HC writer. I’m up to my neck in things to do and, even though it’s quite a lot in terms of commitment, I genuinely love it. All the while, I’ve also had a chance to reflect on how I can continue to improve as a person, bettering myself just because and to avoid future interpersonal conflicts.
As for meeting people…
Yes, I did try to pursue people non-platonically. Once, it led to hurt feelings because they weren’t entirely honest with me about their dating situation, effectively leading me on. On a different occasion, it led to a few months-long situationship that went nowhere because they still were not over their previous partner several months after their breakup. Even though I’ve met my fair share of people, it’s never gone very far and I’ve made my peace with that. It never really needed to go anywhere and I figured I’d end up where I should be eventually, but there’s no rush and I can enjoy my journey while it lasts. I’ll keep going out and having fun, be it at a mall or on a night out.
Although the stability and comfort of a relationship is nice, singlehood has allowed me to meet a great number of people. Whether it leads to more than a single interaction or not, I still get the chance to interact with strangers that I might not have under different circumstances. Maybe I lost track of time while chatting with someone between classes. Maybe I met them as a coworker in the break room. Maybe I taught someone how to dance during an outing. Who knows what (or whom) else awaits?
I’ll let you know in the future! For now, I’ll stick to spending Valentine’s Day with my beloved family and friends <3