It helps to have awesome friends who can come through for you in a bind. This post was written with some very helpful advice from the following key players in my life: Matthieu, Marc, Alex, Brett–thank you for the male perspective. And thank you for the big loan from the girl zone–you know who you are.
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It occurred to me this week that I know a lot more about the life of a bachelor than I do the life of a bachelorette though I’m currently living out this wonderful fantasy myself. I guess it’s funnier to focus on the male demographic in movies and on TV. In any event, I thought I’d take a stab at this topic and try to outline some of the differences between the sexes and establish what has worked for me and what might need some improvement.
From what I’ve seen and read, bachelorhood is a lifestyle choice for men who are either unwilling to commit or not ready to settle because they’d rather focus on other goals in life. According to my Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, a bachelor can also be defined as “a male animal (as a fur seal) without a mate during breeding time.“ Interesting. But what about bachelorettehood? Most of the women that I know (myself included) enjoy the single life, but we’re not as afraid to settle down with the ol’ ball and chain. Why is the art of flying solo so revered by men, and when does it cease to be cool?
Some things about my life as a bachelorette:
No empty pizza boxes in this apartment. In fact, I’ve been eating a lot healthier these days. Because of the dietary restrictions of a close girlfriend and an enormous girl crush on Alicia Silverstone, I have learned to incorporate more wheat- and gluten-free items into my diet. I feel healthier and have a lot more energy overall, though this can also be attributed to the Bikram yoga classes I’ve been taking regularly.
Video games do not occupy large portions of my day and I try to use the after-work couch hours productively. I write, I read, I research, I learn. Which isn’t to say that I don’t have a few TV programs I enjoy watching each week (sorry, but I’m a sucker for reality TV). I spend my free time catching up with girlfriends, going to hear live music, and surrounding myself with positive people I like to laugh with. Victor Hugo once said that laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face. Not only is this a beautiful, descriptive quote, but it reminds me to make use of life’s sweeter moments.
I refuse to let the dishes in the sink pile up. Sure, there are some days when the dust rolls like tumbleweed across my wooden floors, and sometimes a layer of schmutz takes hold of my framed photographs, but I routinely keep up with the maintenance on my apartment. Who wants to let things get completely out of hand?
I may not have a shrine to Jenna Jameson, a secret stash of porn, or Playboy magazines cluttering the closet, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t know where to look to get my rocks off. Women might not be as forthcoming with this kind of information, but we have needs, too, ya know. ‘Nuff said (I’m already imagining the phone calls I’ll receive for leaking this tidbit of information).
What does living the life of a bachelor/bachelorette mean to you?
i think it means complete independence… something one should enjoy because it may not last forever.
I was single for 2 years before I met my current boyfriend and it was a good time for me! I was able to rediscover myself in many ways. I started working out, eating better, enjoying life and then one day Mr. Right came into the picture and it clicked because for the first time in years I knew myself
Best of luck to you on this journey and I hope you’ll stop by my blog again!
I am single right now and even though I am depressed and mopey I am not depressed and mopey because I don’t have a man. Actually depression aside and I actually enjoying this time of my life!
Cute blog I look forward to reading more about your journey
Hello Pixie,
I saw that you visited my blog and I decided to enjoy yours. I wish I had your ability to enjoy being single. I can fantacise about it and get a power boost, but in reality I hated it. I do not do single well. I panic, a personality quirk of mine. Now that I am over 40 and my husband is over 50 I wonder what am I going to do if he passes before me. I don’t do single well. At least when you look back from my point you will have the confidence to know you will be okay.
Teresa
I was single for years before meeting my husband and was happy not to be dating some lose just to be with some time. My time is more valuable than that. It was a great time to get to know myself well. I’m glad I didn’t and wouldn’t be able to have a healthy marriage without it.
I SO loved my independence. Having my own space. Having everything in the apartment be MINE. (It might sound selfish, but I LOVED that everything was MINE.)
I lived alone for long enough that giving up that space was actually a difficult sacrifice when I moved in with my now-hubs.
Loving your blog! Thanks for visiting mine on my SITS feature day…
I’m going to continue stalking you! Us single girls need to stick together…
First off, thank you so much for visiting my blog on my SITS Day
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I posted a VLOG today that mentions what type of yoga I do, but just in case you don’t want to sit through all five minutes of it (hehe), I enjoy Ashtanga and Kundalini. Bikram is INTENSE, so kudos to you for getting into it!
Also, may I just say that I LOVE your blog? First of all, it has the word “pixie” in it and I’m a huge Faerie fanatic. Second of all, you freaking quoted Tori Amos in this post… and, well, I’ve been obsessed with her since I was in middle school lol.
It’s been ten years since I was single, but I can honestly say I was quite messy in my housekeeping! lol
Love this post – and I’ll keep you updated as I might be having a giveaway coming up related to your last paragraph
Thanks, Sarah! Please let me know!! hugs!