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See, singleness is not a curse that is cast down upon the unworthy. It is a natural, normal stage and phase of life.

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It is fear itself that ends up keeping people from finding a good partner and having a healthy relationship.

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I’d rather use my relationship as a learning experience than an excuse to be easy.

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Whether you partake in heart-shaped piñata smashing or have cozy dinner plans, you shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to give the relationships in your life a little TLC. Starting with the most important relationship…the one you have with yourself.

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1. Actually make plans.

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Something relatively simple happens, like finding $20, or getting the best parking spot in the lot, or a 25 cent raise, and you can’t wait to share it…but you get a lump in your throat because you just can’t anymore.

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You get to kiss whoever the heck you want come midnight on New Year’s.

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First of all, I have nothing against relationships. Relationships are fine. They’re… Sweet. And awwww-y. And, well… Sweet.

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Have you been single since you were a fetus? Did someone break your heart, which is made of burnt toast? Maybe a guy with Ryan Gosling vibes who could have intelligent conversations with you about Mad Men took your number because he wanted to take you out for steak but never texted you back.

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I am not writing to decry these trends or request a return to a Mad-Men-era of the domination of machismo (the progress that women have made, even in the past 20 years, has been incredible and I only hope that it continues). Rather, I am writing to warn of the social costs that we could be facing as men begin to slip further and further behind.