There is nothing wrong with being single

The pressure of finding someone at this time of year can be very high, Tim, one of our HR Partners tells us ‘It’s okay to be single!’, let’s find out his thoughts…

By Tim Frear

It’s that time of the year again when it’s easy to become increasingly aware that you are single; all those loved up couples are talking about what gifts they have for their partners and what they plan on doing to celebrate Valentine’s Day. I sit here and I feel lucky that again this year I don’t need to worry about that last minute gift, the additional expense of a great present and a nice dinner to splash out on.

Being single means I can do as I wish. On the weekends I have a nice relaxing day, get up when I want, make a coffee and do the daily chores whilst watching ‘Sunday Brunch’ on TV, there is nobody there to hinder my routines and change my mood. That was me looking on the bright side of being single, if you ask a single person they will usually say they are happy and that seeing loved up couples and work colleagues talking about their partners, husbands, boyfriends and girlfriends doesn’t bother them, but really deep down, does it?

On Friday, the day after Valentine’s Day it’s #SinglesAwarenessDay a facetious holiday, celebrated by single people… that’s me, so what do I have to do? The day is designed to integrate singles together, there are hundreds of groups from the obscure to the more mainstream religious, hiking, cycling, or even drinking groups. I genuinely did not realise how many friendship/event groups are out there, not just for single people but for everyone. If the #SinglesAwarenessDay hadn’t been coming up I wouldn’t have thought to evaluate where gaps lay within my life.

It does feel like I am replacing a vital and integral part of being human (the relationship) with other things that will stimulate and entertain me, the single person. I am a lucky and very happy person which in turn makes me a little cynical and a little bit of a realist which allows me to smirk at life and at options I have available.

I feel that having #SinglesAwarenessDay the day after valentine’s day is a bit of last minute thought, as usual I’m different and like the Chinese concept, they celebrate the fact that they are proud of being single have dedicated November 11, as an entertaining singles festival. The theory behind this day is that the number “1” resembles an individual who is alone, hence 11/11, this feels more ‘planned’ and less of a last minute thought, on that note I will hold my celebration until November… but what happens if I am not single?

Watch this gap!