Single Women - Alive and Well!

Single Women - Alive and Well!

An inspiring collection of stories about single women who have learned to be strong on their own, who have chosen to be happy no matter what their circumstances, and who have found fulfillment within themselves rather than waiting for Mr. Right. “In a perfect world, every woman would find her Prince Charming and live happily ever after. In the real world, even married women know that such fantasy is a figment of Hollywood’s imagination.” So begin the stories in Single Women – Alive and Well! The women captured in this book have not bought into the societal stigma that if a person is alone they must be incomplete. We are the creators of our own destiny. As Lincoln once said, “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” This book demonstrates the truth in Lincoln’s statement time and again. The single women that make up the characters and writers of this anthology all discovered that they did not want to sit around waiting for life to happen. The stories in Single Women are individual and unique narratives about living life as single women in a culture that attempts to find fault with that. Instead of just hoping for Mr. Right to come along before their lives could start, the authors and editors of Single Women encourage all readers to dive into this big world and live life in all of its abundance! The stories told in this book are those of single women who have helped me become the independent person I am today. Not financially or emotionally, but in thought and desire, in life goals and inner strength. Married at a young age, I used to think I would be happy if only I were single! I learned instead that happiness comes from oneself. I learned that from my single friends and relatives who were happier than me. They had one thing in common. They had all decided, “I don’t need a man to be happy.” That doesn’t mean they haven’t found happiness with a man since then, but they haven’t become dependent, saying, "I don't know how I'd live without him!" My co-editor, Ann E. Byrnes, is one of these women. We worked closely together on her first book, through her ups and downs as a single mother trying to make ends meet, trying to make sense of a troubled relationship. Her stories are in this book. Other single women I have known are here, too, some in their own words, some in mine. Even those whose stories are not here helped me—they are in my heart, imprinted on my soul. I am forever grateful to them for helping me understand that even if my marriage for some reason would end, I would be content on my own. Just like I've learned to be content and happy in my present circumstances. – Dianne Lorang Dianne Lorang has worked at MacMurray & Beck and Jody Rein Books. She started The Write Help in 1996 and has edited a variety of books, including The ADDed Dimension: Everyday Advice for Adults with ADD by Kate Kelly, Peggy Ramundo, and D. Steven Ledingham (Scribner, 1997), Mother of the Pound: Memoirs on the Life and History of the Iraqi Jews by David Kazzaz (Sepher-Hermon Press, 1999), and The Practice of Wholeness: Spiritual Transformation in Everyday Life, by Lorena Monda (Golden Flower Publications, 2000). Ms. Lorang lives in Littleton, Colorado. She has three grown children. Ann E. Byrnes' first book, Saving the Bay: People Working for the Future of the Chesapeake (The Johns Hopkins University Press, October 2001), has been well received: “This is a book about hope, rather than despair," says Andrew R. McCown, Echo Hill Outdoor School. "Yes, humans create tremendous problems, but we also have the capability to solve them.” Ms. Byrnes has won several writing awards and been published in local and university periodicals. She earned her degree in Behavioral and Social Sciences from the University of Maryland University College while working and raising two young children on her own. Foreword by Gail E. Parsons, R.N., M.A., CACII As I read the stories in Single Women Alive and Well!, I think about the importance of the individuation process in each of our lives--that process of finding out who we are as individuals. The psychiatrist Carl Jung spoke of this at length in his writings. The need for us to go on such a journey of self-discovery is especially evident at mid-life, he says. But it can happen at any time, as long as it does. If we avoid who we really are and what our true longings are, we stagnate, we die inside. We may even become bitter "grumpy old women." The women in Single Women Alive and Well! are in the midst of this important journey, for it never ends once it has begun. Once they have shed their old modes of transportation, they will find better and better ways to move through life. They may not go fast or by first class, but they will be content with the road they have chosen, even if they have to change directions several times to find their way. Throughout their wanderings, much as the heroines of great legends, they display courage, creativity, and endurance. The writers i