No Boys Allowed!

It was the Pussycat Dolls who said, “I don’t need a man to make it happen”.   Beyonce told us that girls run the world, Christina Aguilera proclaimed that they can’t hold us down, and Pink sang, “So what I’m still a rock star and I don’t need you tonight”.  And these are just the messages coming through the radio.  So why is that as I get ready to leave for my upcoming trip that it has once again become all about a guy?

Over the past few days, it’s felt like everyone I know is trying to catch up with me.  Everyone wants to get together, everyone wants to chat, and everyone keeps asking me the same questions.  “Are there any cute guys going with you?”  Or “Maybe you’ll meet a hot guy with an accent”.  Of course I smile and laugh it off but I can’t help but think, when did this all become about meeting someone?!

Last November, I applied to go on a trip with Habitat for Humanity.  I impressed the leaders in the interview and got selected.  I raised and saved the money to pay for this adventure.  Every step of this process, I have done on my own without the help of a boy so why would the end result be about a guy? 

For me this trip has been all about me.  I did it because I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone.  I wanted to put myself in a situation with people who aren’t necessarily the people I would interact with in my everyday life.  I wanted to challenge myself and what I am capable of.  I wanted to step away from my normal life and find some adventure.  I wanted to put another stamp in my passport and see a part of the world that I may otherwise never have gotten the chance to.  I wanted to immerse myself in the culture of another country rather than just see it as a tourist.  I wanted to leave my mark and help someone other than myself.  I wanted to learn new skills.  There are about a hundred other reasons why I decided to do this but none of them include falling in love or finding a guy.

I may be single but I prefer to call myself independent.  Every day I wake up and go about the day all on my own, just like I am going to do from the other side of the globe.  I have done ok for myself so far and I’m happy with that.  One day I will have another relationship but for right now I am doing this, no boys allowed!

"I think the key is for women not to set any limits." - Martina Navratilova