Erin Meanley, a dating blogger at Glamour, created a list of "key
experiences every singleton should savor before they couple up." List is
below. I've checked off stuff I've already done and there's still lots
to tick off; looking forward to doing it all — whether single or dating.
To Build Your Confidence...
1. Go to a movie alone.
2. Lift weights.
3.
Try surfing, water-skiing, or some activity you don't already know how
to do. Could be riding a bicycle.
4. Take out the trash, set a mousetrap, do your taxes, build a bookcase.
5. Live alone, or at least move apartments in NYC without the help of family.
6. Train for (and finish) a huge physical test like a half-marathon.
7. Go to a scary doctor's appointment by yourself.
8. Quit your job.
9. Fly to a foreign country by yourself.
10. Learn to stand up for yourself.
To Be Able to Look Back and Say "I Had Fun"...
11. Witness something once-in-a-lifetime, like Jokulsarlon, a lake next to a melting glacier in Iceland.
12. Revel in being able to watch all the reality TV you want.
13.
Get drunk during the day, just because you can. Attend Santacon, the
convention for Santas, or something similar. [Living in Europe and/or
being a soccer fan also granted the freedom to do this.]
14. Go on a date with someone who actually makes you nervous.
15.
Go out with an older man who takes you somewhere nice and makes you
feel like a million bucks.
16. Go out with a guy who makes you laugh 'til it hurts.
To Get Perspective...
17. Be a good wing-woman. It's not always about you.
18. Chill with your widowed and single grandma. She knows "alone"!
19. Volunteer.
To Make You Appreciate the Next Guy...
20. Do at least one Valentine's Day alone. [Oh, I was supposed to do only ONE??? ;)]
21. Attend a wedding (or 15) alone.
22. Date the creeps. You'll really value the nice guys afterward.
To Make You Feel Sexy and Attractive...
23. Buy yourself some flowers.
24. Invest in a LBD (little black dress) and some sexy stilettos.
25. Sit at a bar by yourself and drink a martini.
26. Buy something frivolous and expensive that you LOVE wearing.
To Make the Most of Your Free Time...
27. Finish all your schooling if you can.
28. Throw yourself into something time-consuming, like learning a foreign language.
To Make Yourself a Better Partner in the Future...
29. Make a list of all your faults.
30. Learn to cook well.
31. Get some hobbies. [Film, art, soccer, travel, politics, etc.]
32. Let your married friends edit your online dating profile.
33. Get your finances in order.
To Appreciate Being Single...
34. Babysit someone's baby for an hour.
35. Help a friend through her divorce or a bad break-up.
36. Host a girls-only night. I think some coupled-up women forget how much we need each other.
