Do Many Women Live Alone?

Living alone is not for everyone. I live alone and have actually always enjoyed it. Of course I have 4 dogs and a cat, so technically I can't say I live alone. But as far as sharing my home with other humans, I am too set in my ways and don't really want to change that. And yes, I believe there are a lot of women out there who live alone.

The reasons for women living alone vary. Some just never wanted to live with anyone. Several find themselves thrown into this situation by the death of a husband or live-in companion. Many women who have military husbands live alone for great lengths of time while their husbands are away on active duty. Some women have never lived alone and can't imagine ever having to. My mom, for example, never lived alone until my dad died. Then she had to teach herself how to do everything she had depended on him to do, such as get the oil changed in her car. She even found the courage to put her house up for sale, bought a manufactured home in a senior community and got everything sold or moved. She found a new inner strength and ability to do things she never thought she would have to do.

It's not easy to live alone,though, especially in these economically trying times. It would be much easier to have someone to share in paying the bills and buying groceries. But the benefits of living alone for me outweigh the advantages of the shared bill paying. Many would disagree and see very few advantages of living alone. But just speaking for myself, my home is my safe haven and place where I can be quiet and relax after spending the day around people. I don't have to talk to anyone, feed anyone (other than the dogs), entertain anyone or listen to anyone. I can be downright selfish in my own home.

Living alone for women is not always a safe thing to do,though. Even with four dogs, 3 of them would invite an intruder in and show him around the house, treating him like a long lost friend. But the 4th dog would be the one to defend me and probably reprimand the other 3 for not doing their job. So I feel pretty safe.

But if you don't have a dog or other alarm system in your home or apartment, it can be a dangerous place. Your neighborhood might be safe, but that one person from the other side of town or maybe that person who has been stalking you unknowingly, can ruin your peaceful existence. And then there's the hot summer night when you decide to leave a few windows open, not thinking anyone would take off a screen and climb inside. But it happens. And if you live alone, you need to be aware and take precautions.

If you live on the ground floor and you leave a window open at night, be sure it isn't open far enough for anyone to crawl through and make sure it latches in that position. If you don't have a dog, get some kind of alarm for your doors and windows. You don't have to buy a complete expensive home security system. There are many smaller alarms that are easily installed or even just hung on a door knob. You could even just get an electronic barking dog that could be set up every night or whenever you are not home. I'm pretty sure no one is going to enter a home that is guarded by a big ferocious dog, whether they can see it or not.

Living alone can be dangerous, but it doesn't have to be. However, you do need to be alert and notice everything in your environment when you are walking up to your door. Is anything out of place? Do you hear anything strange? Does something just not feel right? Trust your intuition. Notice everything around you as you open your garage door and drive in. Shut it before you go into your house. Use common sense and never let your guard down. Be alert, be safe, and spend a little money on some kind of protection device or alarm. It really could save your life.