Does Anyone Enjoy The Single Life?

How to Be Single is due out on February 12, just in time for Valentine's Day.  I cannot wait!  That made me curious, though.  How many books out there focus on the single life?

Actually, there are quite a few!  I found one that is pretty good, titled Single: The Art of Being Satisfied, Fulfilled and Independent by Judy Ford.  First off, I love the title.  It sums the book up in a few words AND provides a new definition for 'single' at the same time.   

Have you ever thought seriously about what it takes to be single...successfully?  Probably not, since many, according to Judy, are more afraid of being single than of public speaking. Funny thing is, they are similar.  You're standing out there alone hoping people like what you have to offer. 

In this mashup of memoir, self-help and inspiration, Judy shows that being alone is not a problem to be solved.  It is a natural part of the living process.  Her compassion is evident on every page, hence the memoir feel to the book.  The self-help portions are equally baked in.  

You could read the 45 things a satisfied single knows in the introduction and be happy, but you would miss out on the exercises sprinkled throughout the book.  Judy is never condescending, but comes to where you are.

One of my favorite stories is early in the book.  After Judy’s first husband died, she married a man that she knew wasn’t good for her.  It wasn’t a happy marriage.  She stayed in it, pretending to be happy, afraid to be alone. Finally she left, but soon needed money.  The one carat engagement ring that convinced her to marry a second time... turned out to be cubic zirconium.  Judy kept the ring as a reminder not to settle.

There isn’t one single chapter that disappoints.  Listen to this!  Just makes me feel good.

“When a love affair ends, we tend to think the love wasn’t real.  He or she didn’t really love us.  Otherwise, wouldn’t they have stayed the course?  Wouldn’t it have lasted?  But that’s fallacious thinking.  Everything that’s vital dies sooner or later – that’s the very law of life.” 

Here is another sweet offering, single moms living together to support each other like Kate & Allie.  It might be off the wall to some, but I wish that I had thought of it when I first left my husband.  She helps you to rethink dating, breaking up, and making up.  You will feel more confident about being single, inspired even, after reading this book.

Buy it, give it as a gift for Valentine's Day!

April Boddie
Email: april@growlovelife.com