Why are you still single?

Don't worry: You don't have to answer that...even though I blame your unattached status on those unsightly nose hairs. (Kidding!)

This post's title was inspired by a NY Times feature profiling John Bowe, a freelance journalist and bachelor. Bowe produced “Us: Americans Talk About Love,” a collection of oral histories about relationships.

The point of the article isn't so much Bowe's project, but rather the 40-something's singledom.

He wears nice clothes. Cooks. Brews mint tea.

On the surface, the qualities seem to constitute what many women would consider a "catch."

So why is Bowe still single? He attributes it largely to a decision to choose a career over relationships, noting, "I think it’s a very arrogant gamble I made in a way. I’ll have time to set up a career that fulfills my spiritual goals and then have time for a relationship afterwards."

Does Bowe really deserve his own feature story? His predicament really isn't all that different from thoughts any single 20-, 30- or 40-something encounters.

You hit a point in your life when you become cognizant of the way seemingly minor decisions have affected your relationship status.

Wider social circles -- thanks, Facebook! -- make us more aware of the high school party comrade who now has four kids...or the college roommate who turned down her dream job to marry the perfect man.

It's easy to look at those examples and wonder, "What if I hadn't moved away?" Or, "What if I had given him another chance?"

But obviously, you can't go back in time...and those thoughts are bound to leave you envisioning dream-like scenarios that are both impractical and unhealthy.