So I was driving to the office this morning when on the CD player came the Marcellus Hall song “Star Position“.  The song is so cheery it makes me smile every time I hear it. It’s a pop song of anthemic-proportions that celebrates the freedom of the single life.

It got me thinking about all the great things that the single life has to offer. The trouble is that the newly-single (or even not-so-newly single) people, often just can’t see it…

Understandably, some people are too busy feeling bummed that their love has gone, constantly worrying about what they think they may have done/said wrong, or are indeed fixating on what is lacking in their life...namely a relationship. [ED NOTE: Don't worry guys, most of the people I've seen on this site in the last dozen years, often in spite of themselves, did actually move on to new, often much better, relationships!]

Those people who are unhappy with their single life remind me of the quote about staring at a door and missing the fact the window’s open. You know the one I mean? They miss the beauty in solo life because they’re desperately trying to get back another relationship, instead of learning to embrace all that the single life has to offer.

Yes, I know, it can be challenging to embrace singledom. I mean we all know people who seem really good at it, and some who just seem so bad it.

I fall into the former category, thankfully. I actually like being single (well, most of the time anyway). Do I get lonely? Yes. Do I sometimes wish there were someone to be my +1 on guest lists, or someone to share lazy Sunday mornings in bed? Of course. Do I sit around and dwell on it? Seldom…

Years ago, I penned a blog on being positively single. I guess this is a follow-on from that.

Today I decided to focus on the upside of it and make a note of them as they arose in my mind or my life…When you’re single you can…not just sleep in the star position but…

1) …paint or decorate your space, or place, to your own liking. I, myself, just remodeled my bathroom this past week (well my plumber James did, but you know what I mean!), and it’s all down to my tastes, and I put in exactly what I wanted and it’s the most blissful haven I’ve ever had as a result. It’s reminds me of a spa now! Classy!

2) …have a flirtation with that hot guy or girl at work (the gym, school, wherever,…) without having to feel guilty that you’re doing something you shouldn’t be! Heck, it doesn’t need to stop there of course, because you can do whatever and whoever you want when you’re single (preferably with other single folks, of course!)

3) …watch your favorite sports, soaps, films, or in my case inane High School dramas like ‘One Tree Hill’ (hey the music’s good on it) – without any ridicule, disturbances, guilty or annoying comments.

4) go anywhere you want…on any given hour, day, week or longer you can head out to wherever you choose. There is real freedom in that. Take advantage of it if you’re single, think about where you’ve always wanted to go, and start planning it. [I'm currently planning Australia 2013!]

Get a Pug, Puglovers!

5)…indulge in your favorite past-time, read a book in peace, blast your music, spend your money on whatever YOU want, fill your fridge with your favorite food & drink, work as long as you like, stay up late or get up early, hang out with your friends as long as you want, spend hours in the gym or shopping, get the kind of animal you always wanted…

The list goes on…but really my list is not so important…Yours is.

What little things can you find that make you happy about the single life? Share yours in the comments below!

It goes without saying that there are pros and cons to everything. We can find evidence to support any hypothesis if we really want to, but the main intention behind writing today’s blog was to say, you may be single now, make the most of it while you are because one day, possibly in the not-too-distant-future, you’ll be in another relationship and you’ll probably miss things about being single.

My only real suggestion here is to make the most of it and not treat singledom as a “stop gap” between relationships. Be (or become) the kind of person someone would want to be around. Fill your life with fun, exciting projects, people, travel, work, interests etc – and aim to be the kind of person who has a life to SHARE with others rather than look for someone else to “complete it”.