The New Classic

being happy by myself In all the time I was growing up, as a young woman, as a wife and mother, I was never by myself. I didn’t even have a room by myself. I was with my sister, then a roommate, then my husband. When John died, and then my house emptied, I was alone for the first time in my life. That is what helped me more than anything – learning to be alone. You have to be able to be happy with just yourself, I think.

And I found that I was pretty happy living alone. Maybe some people prefer to have somebody in their house with them, but I’d just as soon be by myself. I can live quite peacefully by myself. I like to go see my children and be around family and friends and all that, but I like to get home and be in my own bed at night.