Puppies and Rainbows and Trolls and Dead Flowers

"You know what--sometimes even without a boyfriend life is all about puppies and rainbows and sometimes even with one it's about trolls and dead flowers." ~Me!

I mentioned before that my friend The Bride cracked me up last week by going back through ancient facebook messages and pulling out the funniest quotes from them. The quote above is one that she found. As soon as I read it, I knew I had to do a blog.

I think that so many times, people have the impression that once they are in a relationship, they will be happy. And until they are, they just have to bide their time and wait for happiness to arrive. If you ask me, this is a problem.

While a relationship should obviously add to our happiness, I think we better figure out how to be happy ourselves, instead of totally depending on someone else to make us feel that way. I don't think that our happiness is tied to our relationship status. Here's the deal:

1. Being single isn't all bad.

Once again, for my friends who are sighing and worrying that I will never get married, I really do hope to find a George Strait-eque cowboy or a Jeff Samardjiza-esque athlete to sweep me off my feet. But the point is that while I'm waiting, my life is pretty stellar. When you're single, you can do whatever YOU want, because there is not someone else that you have to think about. So, if I want to hop a plane to Oklahoma at the last minute, I can. If I want to take a nap all afternoon, there is peace and quiet. If I feel like spending money on something that a boy might not understand, like hot yoga or cute shoes, it doesn't matter, because it's my money!

2. Being in a relationship isn't all easy.

News flash: relationships are hard. Two people have to be on the same page about a lot of things. It's not always smooth sailing. Some people don't get this. I blame romantic comedies and fairy tales. The whole happily ever after nonsense is a myth. Maybe Cinderella and Prince Charming do live happily ever after, but my bet is that they have some rough spots along the way....the probably fight about money, him leaving his socks on the floor, and her wanting to buy a bunch of cute throw pillows for the bed. I'm just saying, relationships are not the magic cure-all that make people happy.

So, whether you are flying solo for now, or if you are in a relationship, know that there will be good times and bad times in both. The key to both is to enjoy the good times, and get through the bad.

You do that, and it really will seem like puppies and rainbows!