I am 23 years old and I am single.

And I revel in it.

I know what you’re thinking. Oh great, now she’s going to go off on some feminazi-esque tangent about how men or women (depending on your biological sex or sexual orientation) are the scum of the earth, will use you and treat you horribly and that you should avoid them at all costs. Or how, once you manage the incredible feat of being a part of one, relationships are made to give us all headaches and nothing good can come of them.

Wrong on both counts.

All sexes have much to offer as a couple in a relationship, just being friends, or even as random strangers to interact with on any given day.

A healthy relationship can bear many positive fruits. Intellectual compatibility is important because, let’s face it, it’s fun to debate issues with someone who can step up to your level. An emotional connection means that you can count on someone to care about what you’re feeling even when it may be hard to empathize with. Finally, a satisfying physical bond, regardless of different personal boundaries, can lead to many a good time. The key word in all of that, however, is “healthy.”

Although a healthy relationship can definitely be a good thing, being single does not mean you are missing out.

Two summers ago, when I was preparing to study abroad for a semester in Italy, I can’t remember how often married couples told me how great it was that I was going as a single person without a relationship to worry about. And it truly was great. Because I didn’t have a significant other, I was able to do what I wanted whenever I felt like it. I didn’t have to worry about being out with classmates and meeting new people and what someone back home would think of it.

So much can change between the time you’re 20 and the time you’re 30. Something you believed in when you were in your early 20s may be completely different from the “early 30s” you. This will have an impact on what choices you make, so finding yourself may be more important than needing to be in a relationship.

Contrary to popular belief, your biological clock is not ticking. You are not an utter failure because you are 22 years old without a spouse or family to provide for. You can have an incredible time doing things on your own and savoring that time being independent.

Doing things by yourself does not make you a loner or a loser. I challenge you to stop caring what people may think and just do it anyway. You don’t have to worry about other people’s schedules. You can spend as much time as you want just being somewhere. If you are open to it, the probability of meeting new people increases because you aren’t absorbed in your significant other.

On a whim, I drove to the Danish museum in Elk Horn by myself on the last weekend of the holiday break. Not only did I learn about people’s Danish ancestry through awesome artifacts, but I also got to know two employees for about an hour after the museum closed. We capped our evening with a shot of Danish Jubileam vodka – their treat. It was a totally random adventure and great time.

I am 23 years old and I am single.

And I embrace it.

– Eloisa Perez-Lozano is a graduate student in journalism and mass communication from Houston.