You’ll never believe what this woman learned living alone for the first time

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I now live alone, which is a big deal. A big deal because for as long as I can remember, all my life, I have almost always cohabited with at least one other individual. My communal living started from 3 siblings to 300 freshman dorm-mates, to one trillion sorority sisters, and once I graduated, logic and budget and fun made sharing living quarters a way of life. Then I got married…and now, as a newly divorced 40-something, I’m living alone. For the first time.

While this experience is quite different, here are some of the things I have learned.

Living Alone reveals the introverted or extroverted you

Yes, living alone will show whether you draw energy from staying with others or you can stay content and refreshed when alone. I consider myself an extrovert but somehow I find that being all by myself keeps me in my element and recharged.

You are cleaner or messier than you give yourself credit for

Remember when you thought you had the untidiest roommates or partner in the whole world?  Where you had to pick an item there or drop off something else in its proper place (you often wondered aloud what a unique being you were). Now that you are alone, there will be no one to blame for the untidiness, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll realize that the jerk, the jerk who left their dishes in the sink again…is you.

Your favorite talk buddy is you

Because you are alone and because you are wired to chat and vocalize, you will often find you talking to yourself. Could you be losing your mind? No, I don’t think so, it just natural to vocalize your thoughts to hear a voice, your voice in the home.

Everything begins and ends with you

Literally, from buying groceries, to house cleaning and paying utility bills, there is no Mary or John to help with in case you get stuck or forget to pick up that item at the supermarket.

The TV is your kingdom

The TV along with the remote control as well as the power to stay on a particular channel is in the palm of your hands

Drinking alone becomes a solitary joy

This point also includes eating, dancing and doing other activities alone. So you will have to come up with ways to entertain yourself, such as put on “Dancing On My Own” in your kitchen on a Monday night for no reason except that you can.

So my dear ladies, living alone means you get to make, and I daresay, break the rules. Anytime, every time and in any way you deem fit. Living alone, for me, has been the farthest thing from lonely I have ever felt. What about you?