Monday, February 13, 2012

Happy Single Awareness Day!

Happy Single Awareness Day!
(or you can call it by it's initials...SAD)

They finally decided to make a card for this underground holiday?!

It's that time of year again, the florists' Black Friday.  Time for hearts and flowers, chocolates and candy hearts, cards and stuffed animals.  I like Valentine's Day, in theory.  A day where you pay extra attention to the one you love by showering them in gifts and flowers? Sweet! (Not tooth ache sweet, but more Dude, Where's My Car? sweet)  If that was the way it ever turned out for me, I would be all about this holiday.

I am a single girl.  Girl? Woman?  The debate rages on in my head.  Now that I am thirty-two, woman seems more appropriate, but the chick in my head isn't quite ready to let go of being a girl yet. Wow, I just put my age in print on the internet.  Aren't I Little Miss Maturity?  I'm just barely over thirty, just a scosh past it, nowhere near approaching forty... those therapy sessions are still years and years away.  Deep breathes, Lainey.  Head between the knees.  You're okay, you're okay.  But, I digress.  I am a single put whichever noun you feel would be most appropriate here and as a singleton, Valentine's Day is not really a beloved holiday for me. 

A few years ago, when the ratio of my single friends to married friends tipped more heavily to the single side, I would get together with my single friends on Valentine's Day.  We'd meet up at a restaurant and celebrate Single Awareness Day.  For those of you who've never heard of it, Single Awareness Day is the companion holiday to Valentine's Day.  It's kinda like Festivus, as it is a holiday for the rest of us who don't have the pre-requisite loved one necessary to celebrate Valentine's Day.  Sports bars work best for Single Awareness Day celebrations as they tend to have less couples related activities on Cupid Day.  We'd have some laughs, talk about our adventures in singledom, and go home feeling like it was okay that we were still single on this most coupled holiday.



Now, the scales have shifted and the single friend pool has dwindled.  Everybody (or at least it feels that way sometimes) has gotten married and I'm still single.  Normally, this doesn't bother me that much.  By and large, I like being single.  There are some benefits to being single in the world today.  I don't have to tell anybody where I'm going or when I'll be home.  I can spend my money as I please without having to explain my purchases to anyone.  I have total control of every remote control in my house.  How many married people can say that? 

Even with my "single and loving it"  attitude, I can admit that there are times (not often, but occasionally) when I wish for something other than my single status.  When I get sick or break a bone (a new experience for this year), I really wish there was someone else in my house to take care of me.  When I light the Christmas tree lights and lay on the couch in my darkened living room,  I wish I had someone to snuggle with while I enjoy the glow.  When I play with my adorable nephew, I sometimes wish I had one of my own to play with and tickle (something I won't do while I still have my single status).  And, of course, on Valentine's Day when co-workers are receiving floral deliveries and friends are talking about their plans for the evening, I wish that I had someone to send me flowers or make evening plans.  Whoa, this got heavy all of a sudden!  Quick, back to the lighter side before somebody reading this gets SAD.

So, if like me, you don't have a Single Awareness Day celebration to attend this year, then you have a choice to make.

Option #1: Sit at home watching sappy movies on Lifetime with a box of Kleenex.

Option 1:  Pulling a Bridget Jones.

Option #2: Go to dinner at mom's house where you'll undoubtedly be presented with a Valentine's Day card and a box of chocolates.

Option 2: Momma's home cooking and some TLC

Option #3: Get out of the house and make your own Single Awareness Day celebration.



Yeah, I'm leaning towards option 3, too.


4 comments:

  1. That is so SAD and I mean that not in a depressing way, but more like a Dude, Where's My Car? way.

    Embrace your singlehood while you can. Find other singles and contemplate the lunacy that is coupledom. You've seen the fun side of children, now envision them puking and ruining your hot-date plans... Yeah, they're sneaky like that.

    Enjoyed the post, hope it was easier this time.
    WG
    http://itsmynd.com

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    1. Nope, it was still hard as H-E-double hockey sticks to write this time around, too. Well over eight hours spent writing what probably took you maybe two minutes to read.

      I'm not opposed to exploring the lunacy of coupledom. Know anybody who'd like to explore it with me?

      And thanks to my nephew and his mother's gall bladder surgery, I've done the getting up every two hours when the kid is one month old thing(best birth control ever for a single twenty something) and the being thrown up on by a sick two year old thing. I'm that kind of full-service aunt. I even have the car seat in the back of my single person (non-parental unit) car to prove it.

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  2. Um...Hi, it's me your fabulous Single friend when we were talking Sunday I asked you if you wanted to do something fabulous(like Option #3) and you said you were leaning towards Option #2. Come over to the Singleship and we can celebrate with your cute furry nephew, he sends you his love!


    And about this benefits of being single and not having to tell anyone where you are, you can lie to the rest of your readers, but Gertie knows you do have to check in with Mary Ann, cop to the truth Senorita!

    Great blog, Love you!

    PS Check this out for excellent Single things to do on SAD....
    http://www.carriebradshawisfullofit.com/2012/02/valentines-day-survival-guide.html

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  3. hahaha awesome! thanks it feels great not to be alone in this!!
    Being French, everybody always assumes that I have the best Valentine's days..wrong!! If you want to read my story..http://wonder-girls.org/2012/02/14/my-valentines-day-in-america/

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