Being single is both a blessing and an ordeal. On the one hand you can watch whatever you like on TV, laze around in bed in your scruffiest clothes and basically please yourself, but on the other, you have to put up with those around you waffling on about how blissfully happy they are with their other half. Unfortunately, although you may be able to ignore the downsides of being single, there are a few occasions when being single is a not much fun.
St Valentine’s Day
St Valentine’s Day is the most romantic day of the year. It’s great when you are one half of a loved up couple because you can look forward to red roses, champagne, a delicious meal out in a fancy restaurant and some naughty hanky panky. But what happens if you are single? Exactly: absolutely nothing. Instead you have to ensure the horrors of being surrounded by the symbols of love when the only love of your life is a mangy cat and a bottle of wine.
Christmas Day
Christmas Day is about spending quality time with loved ones. When you are in a relationship, it can be a wonderful day of love and laughter, but when you are single, the entire festive period stretches out endlessly with no respite in sight. Every Christmas Party invite you receive has ‘plus one’ printed on it and the thought of putting up a Christmas tree and some Christmas decorations in your tiny flat and then waking up alone on Christmas morning is just depressing.
New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Eve is a tricky one. In theory, if you are single you could potentially meet someone whilst at a New Year’s Eve party, but in practice this rarely happens because most people are coupled up. In fact there is nothing worse than hearing the bells signal midnight and watching everyone around you take their lover in their arms for a romantic kiss—while you are left with the fat, ugly guy leering at you hopefully from the corner.
Your Best Friend’s Engagement Party
You and your best friend have been a significant part of each other’s life for what seems like forever. You do everything together—nights out, spa days, girly chats in front of the TV with a bottle of wine. But then she meets a guy and falls in love and suddenly she’s ‘unavailable’ for nights out and is ‘too busy’ to pop round for a coffee. You feel rejected, but you figure that eventually the novelty will wear off and she’ll be back to her usual fun self. And then she announces her engagement and you are invited to attend her engagement party. You want to be happy for her, but you can’t help feeling that you are being left behind and it’s a bittersweet moment.
Your Best Friend’s Wedding Day
Weddings are tough for single people on many levels, but watching your best friend marry the love of her life when you have yet to meet that special someone can be heartbreaking. On the one had you are happy for her, but on the other you are jealous that she has found someone and you’re still single.
If you are currently single, try not to get too depressed about this sad state of affairs. Be happy and positive and someone will come along eventually.
Sandra Scott was single for six years. Every year she put up her Christmas decorations and begged Santa to bring her a boyfriend, but every year all she got was a pair of slippers from her mum and a box of chocolates from her boss. Then she met Ryan at a Christmas party and fell madly in love and now she’s one half of a loved up couple.
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