Member-only story
The Lone Wolf
Finding freedom in solitude
August, 2018
I have several good friends who seem born to coupledom. They are happiest when they are in a pair. I see them glow with a significant other in their life. It makes me happy they are so happy.
However, even when I look at them, I see where I would chaffe under the same circumstances. I am not made for that. There is a tranquility that has come with accepting this fact. The letting go of the struggle to find a soulmate is completely liberating.
Our culture puts such great pressure on this process that it is unheard of — the possibility of a contented single existence.
But why? There are many things about my single life I find truly fulfilling and quite enjoyable. No, really. I don’t feel like half a person searching for someone to complete me. I’m a whole just as I am. Let me tell you about some of the perks of my single existence.
I’m a middle-aged woman. I can at long last just be me. I am a Nana — I am past the notice of many. And also past their judgment. This is the most free I have ever felt in my entire life. I am Real Ann finally!
There is no one to check in with. No one is waiting for me at home. No one else’s proclivities to accommodate. No one’s idiosyncrasies to work around. No one to debate with…
