It's all about attitude in my opinion. I live with my DH (although we're not actually married), and I really, really miss my single days sometimes. Don't get me wrong, we get along great and don't have relationship problems or anything, but I do love, love, love the week every year when he takes his solo motorcycle trip and I can have the house to myself - do what I want, when I want, how I want, without having to think about what anyone else would think about it!
I think the reason our relationship works is because in some ways, we act more like roommates than married folk: neither of us are into romance, constant connectedness, or needing to finish one another's sentences, etc. Since it sounds like you're interested in eventually finding someone, remember that not all relationships will look the same or feel the same - sometimes the most satisfying relationships are those that aren't what you ever expected them to be like. Heck, my ex-husband was a romantic guy who would bring home flowers and surprise presents, wanted a traditional relationship, etc. and then decided that I "wasn't making him happy" because I didn't live up to his expectations of what a "wife" should be. The loss was devastating at the time, but now I realize that it was likely the best thing that could have happened to me: I learned a lot from that relationship - chiefly, to make sure that my happiness doesn't get lost in trying to make a relationship work. So, *hugs* to you as you look for a relationship and just remember that you don't need to "settle" - it won't make you happy just because it sounds picturesque. <3