[atskitty2]

I know I'm not near it yet, but being around my parents has made me realize I really do not wanna grow old alone. (see other recent thread)

I have been divorced 5 yrs. I have been alright with the idea that I may never be part of a couple again. Now, I'm thinking that's really not what I want.

My tennis partner yesterday is 46, and we were chatting about it a little...says he talks back to the TV already - there's nobody else to talk to, then catches himself and thinks he is losing it...lol
I explained my "discussions" with my dogs...

getting older and being alone just doesn't sound acceptable to me any more. Dating also isnt too appealing any more either.
Maybe need to reevaluate the path I'm on.

[amy40]

kitty can understand you not wanting to grow old by yourself
even if you do not get married again, hoping you are surrounded by friends in your life

[Stillness]

Singleness is better than a crappy marriage. Look at how many people get divorced after decades of being together.

In some ways being alone is even better than a good relationship. I'd be extraordinarily calculating before ever entering into another relationship if my current one was dissolved.

[atskitty2]

I agree Still, to a point. My parents have never had a good marriage, or courtship for that matter. I wished they divorced 25 yrs ago.
But now, in their final months/years, they are alone. If they fall, it'll be hours before someone finds them, if not days. Nobody to check and remind them to eat, bathe, change clothes, not burn down anything with papers on the stove.
Dad needs people. He is a social person. Seems he's fading just with all the time spent in solitude. Even all the years spent in silence, at least they were there together.

I wouldn't go into another relationship in desperation, but if I come to be 70 or become unable to manage myself, I hope that I have presence of mind to move into the appropriate type of situation or move in with friends in similar situations, or something. Simply not good to be alone so much.

[WaveRider]

People who live longest: in a happy marriage
People who have shortest lifespans: in miserable marriages
People who live longer than those in miserable marriages and shorter than those in happy marriages: unmarried.

I'd rather not be married than in a miserable marriage.

I won't die alone. I have too many friends.