Single Seniors - Are You Happier Being Single than Married?

We have been married 59 years. It would be strange to be alone, although we realize that sooner or later one of us will be.

 

I was very happily married for 12 years and had 4 children (1,2,4,6) and still count my blessings to have had that in my life, however brief. After his untimely passing, I never had time to think about whether I was happy or not while raising them and coping with responsibilities. I just made sure I was happy WITH them because they needed happiness and deserved it.

When they moved out, the silence was deafening but in a good way. I was ready to start finding myself and excited to create my life. I would have loved to remarry Mr. Right but they're all taken so I accepted that and chose to be happy on my own. I am. :)
 

Thank you. I can always count on you, my optimistic friend, for a focus on sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows :laugh::playful:

But he'd better hurry :rolleyes:
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I do and I won't. I totally agree with you....unless my soul mate drops from the heavens.

God will have to boink me on the head to get my attention at this point :D
 
We had a lovely marriage but now that she has passed, I suddenly realize that the freedom I have gained from

being single is surely advantageous in many respects. I'll undoubtedly never marry again because of this.
 
It just depends, if you find the right person, I think it would be better to have a partner to go through life with (not necessarily marriage), than to be alone.
 
Falcon said:
We had a lovely marriage but now that she has passed, I suddenly realize that the freedom I have gained from

being single is surely advantageous in many respects. I'll undoubtedly never marry again because of this.
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Oh shoot. Another Mr Right out of circulation. Okay, I'll cross you off my list :)
 
CindyLouWho said:
It just depends, if you find the right person, I think it would be better to have a partner to go through life with (not necessarily marriage), than to be alone.
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It depends where one is in their life. I thought I had the "right" person once upon a time and turned out pretty sour. So once burned, I stay away from the fire.

And yes, do have relationships with the other sex but signing those papers....legal tangles.
 
dkay said:
She chose to remain single and the full cord was wrapped around her wrist. Had she chosen to date, the cord would have been severed and half of it would be released in the fire
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She had only been a widow for one year, probably still in mourning for that 'perfect husband'. BUT, what if she thereafter met another wonderful man and she wanted to date/marry, would she be allowed to break that tradition? People change with time and wounds heal and they get different priorities and ideals. I hope that woman was not tethered to that hasty decision. Have you heard from this woman in the intervening years and found out if there was a sequel to her life? I'm just very curious.
 
Can you be single and happy? Sure! Is it optimal? Probably not. What about marriage? The only thing I know is that feeling alone when you're with someone hurts a lot more than just feeling alone.
 
Truthfully, being honest with myself, I don't think I would make really good wife material. And I don't really want to chance it--for either of the would-be us.
 
I have been single for 18 years,when my new neighbor moved in about a year ago, he started being friendly with me and really helped when I needed help. I was alone and fine with that. However one day we kissed, it just happened and spent the evening together. Within a few weeks he moved in and it's truly been wonderful, exceeded my expectations. He is actually a little over 30 years younger and many single woman his age don't want a relationship. I know many prefer to be single, however if you do want a relationship I recommend seeking someone younger. I never dreamed of this especially for a woman, not even 10 years younger, however now that I am in one and no longer alone, it's a wonderful feeling.
 
Betty&Jeremy said:
I have been single for 18 years,when my new neighbor moved in about a year ago, he started being friendly with me and really helped when I needed help. I was alone and fine with that. However one day we kissed, it just happened and spent the evening together. Within a few weeks he moved in and it's truly been wonderful, exceeded my expectations. He is actually a little over 30 years younger and many single woman his age don't want a relationship. I know many prefer to be single, however if you do want a relationship I recommend seeking someone younger. I never dreamed of this especially for a woman, not even 10 years younger, however now that I am in one and no longer alone, it's a wonderful feeling.
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Well you ole Cougar, think that's what it's called. If this all makes you happy, then good. Did he actually move in, did he have a house too or how did that go. There are other stories like this out there too. I have a younger fellow in our bldg who helps me, he's 55, I'm 80, and I can't imagine that in my life.
 
I don't consider myself a cougar, I never was looking for this and cougars seem to want to keep dating different younger men than get in a relationship. He has hinted he is going to ask me for marriage, so this is a true commitment. He did move in, we are in a Condo building, he is renting his and he is paying my mortgage, I wanted it that way because I was settled in my place. Yes, while we do look strange as a couple holding hands with our age difference, we do run into others from time to time.
 
Betty&Jeremy said:
I don't consider myself a cougar, I never was looking for this and cougars seem to want to keep dating different younger men than get in a relationship. He has hinted he is going to ask me for marriage, so this is a true commitment. He did move in, we are in a Condo building, he is renting his and he is paying my mortgage, I wanted it that way because I was settled in my place. Yes, while we do look strange as a couple holding hands with our age difference, we do run into others from time to time.
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Well you got me curious, wonder just how old you are and he? Oh I'm sure it can work and if a person the woman say is 50 or 60, and fellow is 30 or so, I've heard of this.
 
I am 69, he is 34. I know it very unusualand didn't plan it this way, I am a very successful and classy woman.Now that I have been in this relationship. I have changed my thoughts because it's been very positive and now would likely get involved with another younger man if we ever broke up.
 
Betty&Jeremy said:
I have been single for 18 years,when my new neighbor moved in about a year ago, he started being friendly with me and really helped when I needed help. I was alone and fine with that. However one day we kissed, it just happened and spent the evening together. Within a few weeks he moved in and it's truly been wonderful, exceeded my expectations. He is actually a little over 30 years younger and many single woman his age don't want a relationship. I know many prefer to be single, however if you do want a relationship I recommend seeking someone younger. I never dreamed of this especially for a woman, not even 10 years younger, however now that I am in one and no longer alone, it's a wonderful feeling.
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Hi Betty, welcome to the forum. :) I'm glad you found someone and are no longer alone. The important thing is that you're happy with your new partner. A common suspicion for relationships with such a large age gap, is that the younger person is either after money or something else that may be negative. But, each case is different and I hope that you know a lot about him personally, and he is sincere. Best wishes for you both.

I'm happily married for over 40 years, and if something ever happened to my husband, I think I'd rather be alone and not seek another relationship. If I did though, it would likely be with someone in my age group, who I had more in common with.
 


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