"I've chosen to spend the majority of my adult life single and there are strengths and weaknesses to that. I must first acknowledge that I was privileged to be born in a place and time that allows a woman to craft at least a portion of her destiny. For that, I'm infinitely grateful. The positive aspect of being single is I have learned to care for myself and to be financially independent. Most importantly, living in solitude means I can often find moments of peace in a sea of chaos. This peace is what I crave, what I need to survive. To thrive. To think without distraction. To create. The downside is sometimes I get lonely, and I feel sad due to a lack of intimate connection in my life. I do a lot of observation of people in intimate relationships, and sometimes I feel compassion for them. From the outside, I see so much conflict, pain, chaos. They are doing the hard work to serve each other, where I have chosen to keep myself safe--protected from the conflict and control. I don't feel selfish about choosing this lifestyle, because I have found other ways to serve my community. It's just interesting to notice my low level of tolerance for chaos...I'll likely remain single for the remainder of my days. I don't share this because I'm looking for advice from the Facebook masses, it's just a public reflection, that may inspire you to share your story back with me."
Shared by a Generation 40 Collective Member
