Situation: Quite a few of my friends are living alone. Some are widows, some are divorced, one was never married. A recent article in the Lexington Herald-Leader newspaper (8-29-13) reported, "A growing share of Americans live alone, despite the economic woes lingering after the recession, a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau shows.
The article quoted Eric Klinenberg, "The rise of living alone is the greatest social change of the last 50 years." This seems odd to me, given that so many young people are moving back in with their parents due to job loss. But other facts contribute to an increase from 17% living alone in 1970 to 27% today: many are waiting later to marry and elderly people are living longer.
The reality is that all of us, no matter what our situation is, need to be able to live alone, if, for any reason, we have to. It really helps to have family in the same city! Our families know our history, can forgive what they need to, will try to fit our needs into their schedules.
And what is there is no 'kin?' We can create our own family, our own support network! I am convinced that the best, most easily available, willing support systems are churches. There is no end to the help church members try to give each other.
Remember Flight 5191 crashing here in Lexington, Kentucky in 2006? One of our church member's husbands was killed in that tragic event. Our ladies supported her with food, babysitting, whatever she needed for as long as she needed. I'm sure that such giving was repeated many times over with other passengers' families.
Besides churches, there are many fun classes, political groups, clubs, etc. Be a part!
Lessons learned: People who suddenly find themselves living alone after a long marriage don't do well if they were too dependent on their spouses. You've heard of widows or widowers dying within a year of their spouses' deaths. If you're a husband or wife, make sure the other one is fully knowledgeable about family finances, can cook enough to keep body and soul together, etc. It would be a wonderful gift to them!
My granny and mom told me all the while I was growing up that family was so important, would always be with me, that friends may come and go but family would always remain. Being a stubborn pre-teen (but also respectful), I thought to myself, "You're wrong. Family is nothing. My friends are great." But granny and mom were so right!
What about you? Besides widows and widowers, who do you know that needs family?
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