The search for meaning in the single life
Sometimes when I talk to my married friends, with their spouses and kids and mortgages and all, I feel like their lives automatically have a purpose that mine does not. Maybe it's because we're always told that "your family is your best legacy," or maybe it's just that they are so busy, they don't have time to sit around and mope about whether or not their lives have meaning.
I never wanted to have kids, and I haven't yet been with someone I wanted to marry. I don't regret the decisions I made, not one bit. But the grass is always greener, I suppose.
It's easy to feel like your life lacks purpose. That you will die alone and unnoticed, and your cat will gnaw on your dead body for several days until a neighbor calls the police to complain about a weird smell. But even if you don't have children or a spouse, your life can still have meaning.
Religious people will tell you to invest in God, of course. I'm an atheist, but hey, if that's your thing, I say go for it. You can also give your life meaning by being a good friend, by keeping up your relationship with your family, by volunteering, participating in your community, teaching, writing (NaNoWriMo is next month), tutoring, creating art - there are so many options! Take heart.
Image courtesy Flickr/Elln