Marriage isn't necessarily for everyone. If you're anything like Kramer from Seinfeld, you might've considered the idea thoroughly and decided against it:
For some, the idea of never finding happily-ever-after is scary, which is why one Redditor asked the Internet to describe what life's really like without marriage. Some people were still hopeful about finding love while others were completely happy being #ForeverAlone.
Many Redditors argued that there are benefits to being single.
"[It's] liberating. No one complains about decorations (or lack thereof). No one asks 'When are you going to do this?' or 'Why aren't you doing that?'" Redditor Rhomega2 wrote. "I don't have to drop what I'm doing because my SO wants to do something else. It saves money. It saves stress. It saves time."
There's also practicality in staying single, especially if you're career-oriented. One woman described herself as in her 50s, never married, and happy about it: "It's great because I make all my own decisions. I quit my job, moved 1,000 miles away to go back to school in my 30's to start a new career. I could not have done that if I had had a husband and kids. Every decision I take is mine alone: What house to buy. Whether to adopt another cat. What movie to watch. Where to go on vacation. What car to drive."
But she also described occasional cons:
"But that's also the downside: every decision I take is mine alone. When is it time to euthanize my sick cat? Is this really the right house to buy? When things are really rough, like when I hate, hate, hate my job, there is no one to say: 'It's going to be all right.' Or, better yet: 'I'll pay the bills for a few months while you look for a new job if you feel you need to get out of there.' There is no one to pick me up when my car breaks down; no one to feed the cats if I have to work late; no one to shovel the driveway if it snows when I'm sick.
I have friends and lots of interest, so I'm rarely lonely. But sometimes when I am home alone, especially around the holidays when all my activities get canceled and my friends go off to spend time with their families, I can be profoundly and desperately alone."
Overwhelmingly, most Redditors responded that the best way to cope with singlehood (and life in general), is to take things day by day. If we get too caught up in possible "what ifs," we might miss out on the present.
One person wrote, "I decided against a career overseas because I thought it would interfere with my goal of finding a life partner. Well, now I have neither. If I had to do it over gain, I would just live my life."
So if the right person shows up, that's great. But if not, it can be exciting and liberating to prioritize yourself.
