A year ago today I made myself a promise: that I would stay single for 365 days. I know, I know. You're sitting there, yelling at your screen "But it's not fair!!! How can you be so selfish as to deprive the women of the world of your wonderful companionship??!!!" You're right and for that I apologize.
However, I had my reasons...you see, August 25 was not picked at random. On that day in 2009, I had the longest and most meaningful relationship of my life end. I'm not going to go into the details of it, but those of you who were around for it remember that I got my ass royally kicked and I didn't get back up on my feet for a long time after that. Then, on Aug. 25, 2010 I had another relationship end. Though that one was my choice and I have not regretted my decision for even a moment, when I looked at the date that day and looked inside myself I realized that it was time to just be me for a while...so I picked Aug. 25, 2011 as the date before which I am not allowed to get myself into a relationship. In case you're keeping track, this one year has been the longest stretch that I have been single for since I was 18.
Well, let me tell you...the past 12 months have been nothing short of amazing. I would say it has been one of the best years of my life. Not having a girlfriend was certainly not solely responsible for all the good that has happened in the past year, but it has definitely contributed to the overall awesomeness...so, let me highlight a few things that have happened in the past year...in absolutely no particular order:
- I got closer to my friends and family than ever before. Not having a girlfriend allowed me to spend mega amounts of time with them, whether it was chilling with my parents and watching old Hungarian movies or going on one of the many superb camping trips with my best friends. And, I'm not going to lie, sometimes, for one reason or another, I needed them and they were there for me. Always and without hesitation. Whether it was Jon cheering me up after the second break-up, Mark letting me crash on his couch for a couple of months while I was going to school or my parents giving me the kind of supportive and loving home everyone dreams of, I could count on every one of them.
- Exactly 11 years and 1 month after first setting foot in college, in October, 2010 I got my Bachelor of Journalism.
- I quickly followed that up by adding a TESL certificate so I can teach English as a Second Language at home (and make myself more competitive in the field abroad) in January, 2011.
- I lost 40 lbs and got into the best shape of my life.
- I moved to Korea to teach English. I mean how crazy is that?
Random: One of the all-time awesome single guy songs (Johnny Cash: Understand Your Man) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipjaLMd8TqM
- I travelled around Canada and to the United States, China, Korea and the Philippines.
- I bought my dream camera. It took me five years of lusting and saving, but in November, 2010 my very own Canon 1D Mark III arrived in the mail! Today - 9,000 pictures later - I still grin every time I grab it and go shooting.
- I paid off a third of my outstanding student loans...now I'm down to roughly a quarter of what I started with when I left school...the end is in sight!!!
- Last, but not least...my life has been thoroughly drama-free. No fights, no breakups, no heartbreaks, no woman, no cry. Best of all, I'm not jaded, bitter, angry or sad anymore. Been there, done that. I'm in that perfect place where I have nothing against relationships and, should one come my way, I would welcome it with open arms, but at the same time I'm loving being single and I'm in absolutely no rush to change that status.
So...here's to a year of me. And thanks to everyone who has made it the blast it has been...
T
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