The inequity of single life...

There are a lot of unfair things to put up with being a single girl in a married person's world.  The social stigma that's attached to not having a ring on your finger, the frustration that comes from having to navigate every social situation with the knowledge that it was planned with couples in mind, the necessity of killing one's own spiders.

But I think there's one issue that stands out in my mind above all the others.  It's an injustice that's so blinding, I'm surprised other people haven't brought it up yet.  Surely there should be pretentious New York Best Seller novels and ridiculously maudlin songs written about it by now!  Surely hoity toity people should be having ten thousand dollar a plate fundraisers to raise awareness of such a grave injustice!

The issue ... as a single person, my access to the nine to five outside world is severely limited.

Yeah, I bet all you marrieds hadn't thought of that, had you!  You get to split the responsibiltiy of going to those places that are only open in business hours with your significant other!  You have another person to rely on if that couch you ordered is going to be delivered next Tuesday between twelve and four thirty.  But if I have to get the washing machine guy in or buy gluten free pasta from that ridiculously expensive deli that's only open between ten and three, then I'm on my own!

And this means that either I have to manage my working hour committments like a General planning a battle, or I have to rely on the good will of my boss to let me off when I randomly ask to go early so I can get my donkey reshod at the donkey reshoeing place that's only open when I'm supposed to be at work diligently slaving away over my spreadsheets.

Seriously, would it be that hard for places like banks and doctors offices to have opening ours that are just a little bit outside of the normal office times?  Geez guys, give us working stiffs a break!  

And the guilt involved!  It's like asking for an afternoon off (even if you've already worked the hours up) is akin to second degree murder.  Not that anyone ever tries to make me feel guilty, oh no, I'm quite capable of doing that for myself.  No need for the boss to shake his head disapprovingly because I have someone coming to shave the cat.  I'll have worked myself up into a fit of completely over-the-top guilt before I even bring it up with him!

Yeah, these are the things we single people have to put up with.  So the next time you're ranting on about how your husband/wife did such-and-such even though you specifically asked them not to do such-and-such, just remember that even though you have to put up with these inconveniences ... at least when you need to have the roof retiled, you have someone else to dump the responsibility onto.