This morning brings an email from one of my dearest friends, with a link to an article, “36 things every single girl must do before she settles down.”

The link is accompanied by a short note: How many of these have you done, lady? 😉

Well, I think, having had more years of singledom than the average gal, I should score quite well on this one. Nevertheless, I click on the link and start to read.

1. Go to a movie alone.

Pah! Child’s play. I actually quite like going to the cinema by myself. It’s the perfect thing to do when you’ve got nothing to do.

2. Lift weights

Uh-huh. About three times a week. It’s the only thing that keeps me sane.

3. Take out the trash, set a mousetrap, do your taxes, build a bookcase.

Well, so far I’ve never needed a mousetrap, but I’ve happily sailed through the rest. Though with the possible exception of the bookcase, they’re not really optional, are they?

4. Live alone.

Yep. Done that. And very nice it was, too.

5. Go to a scary doctor’s appointment by yourself.

What? Of course I’d go by myself! Why would I drag anyone else into it?

6. Quit your job.

Yep. I’ve had the pleasure of doing that, too. It was incredibly satisfying, if a little scary, but definitely the right move at the time.

7. Fly to a foreign country by yourself.

Pah! Only about 30 times. This list is for wusses!

8. Do at least one Valentine’s Day alone.

Just one???! Ahahahahahahaaaaaah!

9. Witness something once-in-a-lifetime, like Jokulsarlon, a lake next to a melting glacier in Iceland.

I’ve danced on a rooftop in the middle of a Moroccan gorge, with a troupe of Berber musicians beating out complex rhythms in the street below. That was quite wow.

10. Revel in watching all the reality TV you want.

Now here you’ve lost me. I don’t even own a TV, much less go crazy for reality TV. But I suppose I have watched all the reality TV I wanted. It’s just that that quantity was zero.

11. Get drunk during the day, just because you can.

I’ve got to say that I’m a rubbish drinker. One sniff of the barmaid’s apron and I’m all over the place. I’m sure I probably have been drunk during the day, but it’s something I avoid rather than aspire to. And to be honest, when it’s happened, I probably wasn’t even trying – like if one of my aunties had a particularly heavy hand with the sherry in the trifle, for example.

12. Chill with your grandma.

I LOVE my gran. I need no encouragement to hang out with her. She’s one properly cool lady.

13. Go out with an older man who takes you somewhere nice and makes you feel like a million bucks.

I should never have turned down the Iranian urologist… Sigh.

Anyway, the article goes on, but I don’t. I know I’m a first-rate singleton. Being single may not be the state that I’ve always aspired to, but it can’t be denied that I’m a champion in my field. Other people are great sports(wo)men, fabulous musicians or top-class knitters. I just make a bloody good single.

And once you find something that you’re good at – I mean really good at – why on earth would you want to give it up?