When I was single I got really tired of friends and strangers alike giving me that, "Oh no, what happened?" look. Why was I to be pitied? I hadn't gotten sick, I hadn't lost my job, I had merely left my old relationship for a new one: me.

With so many millions of people opting to go it alone, it's time we reinvented our views of what single looks like through various ages. It ain't the 1950s anymore. Let's act like it and build communities with social ties that can easily prove stronger than monogamous and/or long-term relationships.

The book I mention is by Olivia Laing and it's called "The Lonely City.