There are 33 million single Americans over the age of 45. While many of these singles are looking for new relationships, many others feel that being single has its benefits:
You aren't responsible for another's careless behavior.
You don't have to tolerate another's moodiness, nagging or anger.
You are free to do as you please, when you please, with whom you please. If you want to do nothing, or to curl up with a good book, you can do it.
You are in control of your finances and can do what you want with your paycheck.
You aren't concerned about a mate's health, and don't have to deal with him or her worrying about yours.
You aren't kept awake by snoring, and the blankets are all yours.
You aren't responsible for somebody else's kids.
You can carry extra pounds without fretting.
You don't have to please or pick up after someone.
You don't have to deal with another's personal habits.
Need more reasons why being single has its advantages? DeAnne Hine, of San Clemente, Calif., shared this benefit: "Not worrying about falling into the toilet in the middle of the night." And of course there's the "squeezing of the toothpaste in the middle of the tube" issue.
In the 1970s, the Fifth Dimension sang about the plusses of singledom: "One less bell to answer, one less egg to fry."
Dolores Williams, of Temecula, Calif., said, "I've been married and unhappy, and single and unhappy, and single and unhappy is better."
Perhaps most peculiarly, an anonymous woman stated, "Living with a man is like having three goats in the house." While men have been accused of being many things, now we're a trio of goats? Well, at least we're free to munch on grass. After all, we're single!
