I’m living life on my terms! I don’t need a woman to be happy! Why is everyone asking when I’ll settle down? When people inquire why, at 35, I’m still single—no wife, no kids, not even a dog—I often find myself at a loss for words.
It’s as if I have to justify my life choices.
As though I’m doing something wrong.
As if a man who doesn’t dream of a house, a wife, and children is strange, flawed, or incomplete.
I wasn’t always like this.
Once, I lived like everyone else.
I sought love, built relationships, and wanted a family.
But you know what I found?
Disappointment, pain, and emptiness.
There was a time when I met a woman for whom I was ready to give everything.
She was extraordinary.
She showed me passion, tenderness, shared plans, and trips.
But then…
Then she began visiting those same places with another man.
And it made me sick.
I realized it was all an illusion.
Love?
Family?
Stability?
All just words.
But thanks to her, I found myself.
She showed me the world.
I learned to earn and spend money on myself.
This person taught me not just to travel, but to earn as well.
Before meeting her, I lived like many others—spent my salary on frivolous things, saved up, and waited for Friday to buy something unnecessary.
Then I realized: money should grant freedom.
I changed jobs.
I started earning three times more.
I understood I could afford more than I thought.
And you know where I invested that money?
Not in new furniture.
Not in renovations.
Not in a woman who might leave one day.
I invested it in travel.
In life.
And it was the best decision of my life.
I bought a car and drove towards freedom.
For one birthday, my sister gave me a book about waterfalls and mountains.
I opened it and was captivated.
Before me were places I had never seen.
Places far more beautiful than any Instagram photo.
At that moment, I knew—I had to go there.
I sold my old phone, took a small amount from my savings, took driving lessons, bought an inexpensive car, and set out on my journey.
It was frightening at first.
But then…
Then I saw how my soul changed.
How I became a different person.
How fatigue after a long day on the road brought me more happiness than any encounter with a woman.
I traveled across the country, gazed at mountains, camped in tents, fished, and watched sunrises from hilltops.
And I knew I would never go back to my old life.
I found true friends.
On one of my journeys, I met people just like me.
Cavers, climbers, adventure drivers.
With them, I learned what it’s like to descend into mile-deep chasms.
To climb peaks where there are no roads.
To challenge yourself and conquer fear.
They taught me that the best cure for a fear of heights is to jump off.
And you know what?
They were right.
Because from the moment I jumped, I feared nothing.
I drove 4x4s off-road, sped on a jet ski over wild waves, and dived into depths I never dreamed of before.
I tasted the zest of life.
Women? Yes, but not for a family.
I’m not a monk.
I haven’t sworn off relationships.
But I no longer seek “the one.”
Because I know—the greatest love of my life is my freedom.
I no longer trust words.
I no longer believe in promises.
I’ve seen too many lies to dream of anything ephemeral again.
But I know one thing:
The world is vast.
It is beautiful.
It is waiting for me.
I’ve visited dozens of places, but I still haven’t been to Cornwall.
I haven’t stood on a surfboard yet.
I haven’t experienced a storm at sea.
But that’s just a matter of time.
I live how I want. And that’s enough for me.
I don’t need a woman to feel happy.
Because no love can give me what the open roads, adventures, the wind on my face, and new horizons do.
The world is magnificent.
And I’m living in it the way I like.
