Being Single in Your Twenties
By: Caitlyn Pfau
During the holidays, Instagram blogger @jessieharman posted a photo that included five people in it. Four out of the five people are in a relationship. The fifth person was Cody (Jessie's sister) and she was single. The reactions of Jessie’s followers seemed to have taken her off-guard and brought attention to a topic that goes undiscussed.
Jessie’s followers seemed to pity her sister, which shocked Jessie. Most of the comments under the photo ranged from “omg how sad!” to “ poor Cody”. Why is it considered sad to be single during your twenties, or the only single one in a group?
Instead of having people pity those who are young and single, society should aim to embrace them and address the appeal of being young and independent! When you're in a relationship, you’re committing to sharing the precious, limited time that you have as a young adult with someone else. The time that's being shared with someone else during your early adult years could be spent finding and enjoying yourself. Being able to enjoy your time without having to compromise with a significant other should be celebrated.
Without realizing it, one could miss opportunities that could help them grow in their career because they didn't want to take an offer or internship that would involve having to relocate from their significant other. If being single comes down to having the freedom to be independent or the opportunity to focus on yourself as well as your personal growth, what’s so sad about that? For all anyone knows, the people who were commenting “poor Cody" on Jessie's post could be single themselves and are just projecting their own feelings onto someone else.
Those Instagram pictures of happy couples with whom people compare themselves to may really just be for show. Who’s to say that those relationships aren't holding on by a thread behind closed doors? Regardless, give yourself and others the time everyone deserves to not only find themselves but to find what they want in a partner.
One cannot know what would complement them best until they know who they are and what they like. One's biggest investment in life, at least while they are young, should be themselves as well as how they can help better their future.
Open your mind up the next time you see pictures of "perfect" couples flooding your Instagram timeline. Don’t pity yourself and don't let society pity you. Think about who’s currently in your life and who you love spending time with. Think about the opportunities you have coming up, such as that perfect internship, or your first “adult” job that might require you to move. If you were in a relationship right now, would you have even applied for those opportunities if you knew that you would have to move away from your significant other?
Recognize the current period of life you’re in and realize that it’s okay to be selfish with your time. It’s okay to focus on yourself and your personal growth. It’s not weak or sad to be independent! When you do find the one, keep it casual and put yourself first. If that person truly is the one, shouldn’t they respect your choices anyways?