I've done 8 out of the 10... I'm still Single.. Have been for over a year and some change.

10 things all single people must do
By Amy Spencer

http://yahoo.match.com/y/article.aspx?articleid=5785&TrackingID=526103&BannerID=686133

Here, we offer a checklist of experiences for single people to try before settling down.

1. Travel alone. Whether you’re trying to find your way through the Paris Metro or the London Underground, haggling over a painting in Mexico or choosing where to bed down in the Badlands, traveling by yourself builds a confidence you simply can’t get any other way. In an unfamiliar place, you have to make decisions by yourself, for yourself every day, which will build a self-reliance you’ll always treasure — even when you become part of a twosome.

2. Wallow in the ache of a broken heart. Oh, the pain. The agony. The pints of Ben & Jerry’s in front of the cable TV. Yep, getting dumped is beyond awful, but guess what? It’s the only way that you’ll develop the empathy you’ll need to be a better partner in a relationship. Because if you’re sensitive to the grief someone else has caused you, you’re less likely to do the same to anyone else. So, consider this painful milestone a lesson in karma that’ll serve you well as you travel through your dating days.

3. Spend a weekend with a married couple your age. On lonely nights, it’s common for single folk to envision marriage as a cozy scene from a classic film or mail-order catalog. But by spending 48 hours with a real couple, you’ll learn that in between the snuggling and pet names comes growling, bickering, silent treatments and maybe even a slammed door or two before they ultimately compromise. It will show you what married life is like, warts and all, so you won’t over-idealize the two-becomes-one phenomenon again.

4. Don’t come home all night. That’s right, wild thing. Crash on a friend’s couch, take your friends up on that offer of a last-minute trip… Once you have a mate, you can’t just take off on your own without explanation. And, truthfully, you won’t want to. So if you don’t have someone you have to call and check in with every few hours, take this opportunity to check out!

5. Stand up for a cause you care about. Whether you volunteer to help register voters for the next election (why not start early?) or convince your neighborhood or apartment complex to start recycling, get fired up over an issue while you have the time to devote to it. It will remind you that while, yes, finding your soul mate is pretty important, there are other issues at stake in the world that could use your help. And besides, the big-heartedness you’ll be cultivating is very attractive.

6. Have a real adventure. Learn to fly a plane, surf some big waves, or start your own business. Give yourself a thrill by doing something just for you, just for the experience — without having someone at home worrying about you or nagging you not to. Oh, and one more gift with purchase: Think about how much fun you’ll have telling your next date about your daring experience.

7. Learn how to take care of yourself. Being solo shouldn’t keep you from cooking for yourself, so learn how to make an impressive meal for one (even if it’s mac and cheese with your own added favorite extra thrown in). While you’re at it, learn how to back up your hard drive and sew on replacement buttons. You’ll feel strong and self-sufficient — and you’ll be armed with skills to share when you are in a relationship.

8. Buy something hugely impractical just because you love it. Once you’re in a relationship, you’ll start thinking about your partner before you purchase pricey items — not just “Will he or she hate it?” but “Is this where I want to be putting my money if we’re saving for a wedding?” The single life means a single bank account and an excuse to blow a wad of cash without (some of the) guilt. So, make yourself happy and buy something you crave, whether it’s an expensive vintage movie poster or a decked-out mountain bike.

9. Develop a hobby. Learn to woodwork, play acoustic guitar, speak French, DJ on turntables, or make digital short films for fun. Of course you can (and should) still have hobbies when you’re dating someone, but your solo time is prime time to devote yourself to something that makes life more interesting for you — and makes you more interesting to others.

10. Be completely, utterly, wholly single for at least three months. Hopping wildly from one relationship to the next can do you a disservice. Why? Because you’re never more ripe for self-reflection than when you’re on your own — and the more you know yourself, the more likely you are to find someone who’s right for the real you.

How Far...

Body, Remember by Constantine P Cavafy
Body, remember not only how much you were loved
not only the beds you lay on.
but also those desires glowing openly
in eyes that looked at you,
trembling for you in voices-
only some chance obstacle frustrated them.
Now that it's all finally in the past,
it seems almost as if you gave yourself
to those desires too-how they glowed,
remember, in eyes that looked at you,
remember, body, how they trembled for you in those voices.

The Voice Of Seduction
by Mark Acciard
It was another lonely evening
In another lonely bar
When across the crowded gathering
I see, there you are
Intoxicating beauty and grace and poise
Seemingly unaffected by the crowd and the noise
I watched you deflect suitors by the dozen
Hovering about and stalking you like a coven
I sat and we talked and I no longer had a choice
Uncommon beauty and a lively intelligence
A rare combination beneath such a lovely countenance
And, oh lord, such an exquisite voice
Low and breathy, full of promise
The voice of seduction
Eroticism, witticism, full of compassion
A voice that prompts thoughts of
Nights of wild abandon
Of full moons.... Above warm tropical rains
Of long moonlit walks on the sands
Of fine wines and candlelit dinners
Of mountain log cabins with crackling fires
Of romantic destinations, nights filled by sighs
A woman whose conversation is an event
Intelligent, inventive, romantic, and heaven-sent
Knowledgeable about so many subjects
With a voice that entrances sweet and direct
A woman's maturity and a little girl's innocence
Simple naivete and seductive temptress
A complex woman without a doubt
A siren perhaps, singing to tout
Chivalry, sensitivity, and romance
Qualities begging for enhancement
In men the world over
Therefore the key to this maiden of myth
Is to make sure that she is never bereft
Of the qualities she so richly deserves
Do this to ensure that her love will be preserved.


To Q from J...