Lately, it’s hard to breath when I think of my beloved husband dying sometime and leaving me to live alone. It’s been a long time since I’ve been alone.
In 1936, Marjorie Hillis wrote in her book Live Alone and Like It:
The chances are that at some time in your life, possibly only now and then between husbands, you will find yourself settling down to a solitary existence.
When Hillis was writing in the 1930s, a woman living alone was considered glamourous. Not so today. While single men might be considered attractive bachelors, the same standard does not apply to women. Frequently today, single women are pitied.
It’s foolish to think of single women that way. We frequently don’t have a choice. Relationships break, or someone dies, or we just can’t find the right person.
Hillis’ belief is that it’s critical how you think about living alone: “The beginning is your attitude—your approach, so to speak.”
I can’t control whether I’ll live alone. I’m still terrified at the thought of being a widow. But if that happens, no matter how painful it might be, somehow I’ll be okay.
