Solo Living

There is a version of starting over that looks good on paper. You finally have your freedom. You are discovering yourself. You are building a life that is entirely yours. And some days that is exactly what it feels like. But there are things nobody tells you. Things that don’t make it into the inspirational…

When life gets quiet (and quiet it will), 
When noise fades away and the world holds still, When chatter goes soft and the rush disappears, And you’re left with your thoughts… and your questions… and fears— Most folks get uneasy. They reach for a sound, A screen, or a voice, or some busyness found. They fill up the silence, they turn up the noise, Distracting themselves with a thousand small toys…

A woman over 60 cancels plans on a Friday night. She makes tea. She sits in a chair she loves and reads until her eyes get heavy. She sleeps well. When someone asks what she did over the weekend, she hesitates. Because “nothing” sounds like a confession when you’re over 60. A younger woman has the same Friday. She calls it self-care. Same evening…

Yesterday I made a roast chicken with all the fixings. There was no occasion. I wasn’t expecting anyone for dinner. I roasted potatoes, made carrots and turnip mash, and put together a large salad with whatever was ready in the garden. At the last minute, I baked a lemon pound cake because there was a lemon in the fridge, and it seemed like a good idea…

If you have been married for a long time and are now divorced or widowed, or even if you have never married at all, chances are your ideas about love are outdated. I don’t mean that as a criticism. I mean it as a relief. When I found myself single in my 60s after more than 30 years of marriage…

Be honest: have you asked the question above to yourself or to a friend? If you have, please go back and read the words. It’s only you? What does that say about your worthiness to be well-nourished?

I did not picture my life as it looks approaching 70 – not as a kid or young adult, not as part of a couple for 35 years. Not ever. Yet the script seems so perfectly written, I know this is exactly where I’m meant to be. Even 10 years ago, I’d have laughed if you predicted I’d be twice divorced at 70…

There are many reasons women are single, yet the term “single woman” is still often narrowly defined – usually referring to someone who is not married and, in some cases, someone without children. But that definition…

One thing I love about living in an apartment building is that, while I live alone, I’m surrounded by caring humans. We look out for each other. We hold doors, water plants, have the occasional glass of wine, exchange keys, and check in when someone…

Let’s be honest: a whole lot of women of a certain age are out here living alone – and thriving. And why wouldn’t we be? Living solo comes…