I’m 22 And Hopelessly Single (But I Refuse To Feel Bad About It)

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I turned 22 exact 3 weeks ago.

Since turning 22, I have had more people than I can count on my hands ask me why I am choosing not to date or tell me that I better start working on meeting ‘the one’ because I’m not getting ‘any younger.’

Well you are right about that last one. That’s how time works. It moves forward not backward, so good job learning that everybody.

Let me also let them in on a little secret: I’m not interesting in getting married or dating or anything of the sort right now. I am 22 years old. I am still young. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t want to be married and divorced before I’m 30 without a career and children to raise in a broken home.

But don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with that if you’ve been dealt those cards. This isn’t a way for me to attack people who are married, divorced, or single parents before 30. This is my way of telling you why I am a strong independent woman who is choosing to focus on my career and making sure I am truly happy with myself before I drag someone into a mess with me.

I am drowning. I am drowning in adult responsibilities, school, not getting enough sleep, making sure I remember to pick up my cat’s food before I go home. Why at the young age of 22 would I want to add more stress to my life? I still have time.

I refuse to let my friends and their parents make me feel bad for being single with a cat.

As far as me being the ‘single cat lady’ for life. Well, you’re probably right. I do love my cat more than anyone else in my life right now. Do you know why? Because I have loved cats since the ripe young age of 3 years old. I have yearned to have a cat of my own my whole life. At 19, I decided I was responsible enough to take care of one. So how dare you use my cat as an excuse to say I’m going to be forever alone. Because you bet your ass whether I am single, married, or divorced I will still have a cat who I will love unconditionally and it will love me right back. My cat doesn’t care how old I am, whether or not I have a boyfriend or not and maybe you all can learn from her.

I have a lot of love to give. I will give my time and devotion into my husband one day. But currently I am not in that period of my life. And how dare someone shame me for loving my life, my soon to be career, my cat and my Netflix account. When I have come to fully love and accept myself, I will begin to love someone else. For now, I am going to sit here drinking hot chocolate with my cat while I enjoy researching my six figure career I am soon to have and enjoy watching you strike out time after time while lecturing me about how I should ‘start looking for the one.’