Ever since I can remember, all I wanted to be when I grew up was a wife and mother. I assumed I'd be married right out of college and cranking out a baby every other year or so after that. Imagine my horror when I graduated from college without so much as a prospective husband and realized I'd have to provide for myself! I couldn't see any advantages to being single. It seemed like a punishment rather than an opportunity. However, 4+ years out of college, my perspective is a little clearer. I'm no closer to marriage than I was at graduation but I'm actually happy with my life! My 21 year-old self would be horrified.

It's taken me a while to get comfortable with the word single. I always assumed it had a negative stigma and connotation, as if there was something wrong with me. I didn't want to be alone - I needed a roommate, I needed a best friend, I needed my sister to accompany me to events. I'd never think of attending a wedding or eating at a restaurant alone! But not too long ago, I had a bit of an epiphany: being single can be fun!

When you're single, you can travel on a whim, decorate your house however you'd like and choose when you'd like to socialize and when you'd like to have some time alone. In the past year, I've made spur-of-the-moment trips to Trinidad, St. Louis, New York, Nashville, Tampa and I have a few more planned (maybe Chicago or Boston?) in the coming months.

While I've learned to be happy in my singledom, that isn't to say that I don't long for the company of other people. I'll invite girlfriends for a dinner party and set the table with the good china, candle sticks, open a bottle of wine and really pull out all the stops. Once a week I'll eat supper with my widowed grandmother and we'll watch Dancing with the Stars. I have a great pool of friends, family and loved ones who are just a drive or call away who remind me that singleness doesn't equal loneliness.