The Joys of Flying Solo: Reminiscing About the Benefits of Being Single

Jess
7 min readMar 1

Even though being married is awesome

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Although being in a relationship has its benefits, and I love my wife, there are definitely some things that I miss about being single. Let me be clear, not having my wife is not something I miss.

There’s something about the freedom, openness, and clarity that comes with running on your own steam and after your own desires, and after you settle into a routine with another person and merge your lives, you may begin to forget what that feeling is like.

Independent decision-making

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As someone who was single for quite some time, I enjoyed being able to make my own decisions without needing to consider how they would affect someone else. I’m a pretty independent person, and even in a long-term relationship, I need space to be and do things for myself.

  • Personal space: One thing I miss about being single is having complete control over my personal space. I could choose to decorate my apartment however I wanted, choose when to clean it, how to clean it, and decide who to invite over. Now that I’m in a long-term relationship, I have to consider my partner’s preferences and needs when making decisions about our shared space.
  • Social calendar: Another aspect of independent decision-making that I miss is having complete control over my social calendar. When I was single, I could choose when to go out with friends, which events to attend, and how long to stay. While my wife doesn’t control what I do or where I go, mutual respect for each other leads us to plan around each other’s social needs. Now that I’m in a relationship, I choose to coordinate my plans with my partner and make sure we’re both happy with our social calendar.

Freedom to prioritize personal goals

Photo by George Pagan III on Unsplash
Jess

I write whatever comes to mind.