Hi, I'm A.Lo, and I'm single

I don't want anyone to think this is directed toward them because they have tried to set me up with someone or used phrases like "if you ever get a boyfriend again." ;-) This is not directed at anyone in particular; it just needed to be said.

I'm single. Not just not married, but not dating anyone, either. And I haven't been dating anyone seriously for a while. Like two years. And that was good for me.

And now I am taking time to make friends before I start trying to date anyone new (although as mentioned in previous posts, seriously dating someone new will take quite a while, since I'm on a FEMA schedule). I want to make friends right now, and I know that if I start dating someone, then it is a possibility that he will be my one and only friend, and that's not cool.

But this doesn't mean that I don't know the exact location of every single male in a one-mile radius at almost all times. I'm embarrassed to say that I do. And I do want to get married in the future, just not in the immediate future.

So I am still single. Very single. I have had some tempting offers since I moved here, but none that I could suspend my fear of commitment and stubborn high standards for.

And I'm not above admitting that being single sucks sometimes. That it gets lonely. That there's a certain "Why me" (or why not me) dialogue that goes through my head sometimes. That it would be very nice to have someone to help me make that drive out to visit my parents so I could nap in the car or rub my shoulders and calves when I get stressed. But most of the time, I believe that single is where I'm supposed to be right now.

And I have married friends and single friends, and I like them all. I have to say that generally, my single friends are more accessible, but this is not something that cannot be overcome.

So let me proudly declare that I am not yet in my mid-twenties, and I am single. And no one is going to make me feel bad about that. Or accuse me of needing to lower my standards. Or question my sexuality. Or throw me at every single guy they know.

Well, I guess they can try.

But wouldn't it be nice if they were proud of me for sticking to my guns, for knowing what I want and going after it? Wouldn't it be nice if they supported me in not settling down until I'm sure I'm not settling?

Let's just be sure that we clear up the fact that from now until some undisclosed date, I will be coming to weddings, family functions and parties by myself. Alone. Single. And this will have to be okay with all of us.