I was reading the Thursday New York Times and came across the front page article of the HOME section which was titled, “One is the Quirkiest Number”. This article was focused on the fact that 1 in every 4 American households is occupied by someone living alone; and, in Manhattan that number jumps to 1 in every 2 households.
Okay, that information did not surprise me – I can tell you that I know over 15 people who live alone – and, in fact my two next door neighbors live alone. What I took offense to is that we are quirky and our living habits are far from traditional. As I continued to read the article I got angrier and angrier as I think I lead a very normal life, as do my neighbors and the 15 plus friends of mine who also live alone.
The article cited a 20-something who does not hang up her clothes; but, rather uses her dryer as a closet and every morning she pulls out what she is going to wear out of the dryer – it further goes on to say that she has forgotten several times to pull out a skirt and has gone to work without one. Okay, I have a walk-in closet with built-ins. I never leave clothes in the dryer and every Friday I select what I will wear the following week, I iron it and the evening before I select my underwear, jewelry and shoes. It is rare that I change my mind on what I have selected.
It references a book, “Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone” by Eric Klinenberg who states that “living alone represents the self let loose” and that we tend to behave differently than individuals who do not live alone. We tend to run around naked, will eat at the kitchen sink, tend to leave under wear in the dining room, etc.
Are there people like this – I am sure there are; however, there are married people who also do quirky things, how many wives hate picking up their husband’s dirty socks, have dirty dishes sitting in the sink and/or loads of laundry to wash or clean laundry to fold? So why pick on those of us who live alone???
What those of us who live alone are not given credit for is that we manage to do everything by ourselves – what do I mean by that? Well, I can go on for days; but, I will just give you some of them:
1. All appointments need to be made by this one person – be it doctor,
dentist, haircut or car servicing
2. All errands need to get done: cleaners, bank, groceries, post office
3. No one else cleans the house, does the dishes, makes the bed, cleans the
toilet or does the laundry
4. When it comes to holidays or birthdays – as a single you are out there
buying the gifts and the cards
5. As a person who lives alone – if you get sick you need to make your own
chicken soup, make sure you take your medicine, change your soak drenched
sheets; and, think of ways to make yourself feel better
Now what I think happens is that those of us who live alone develop certain ways of doing things and certain standards. I like my home to be clean, the dishes washed and put away before I go to bed and the garbage taken out every morning.
I don’t believe in letting the laundry basket overflow although between the amount of clothes and underwear that I own I can clearly go two months without having to do laundry. I have enough dishes to not wash them for 30 days; but, instead after every meal I hand wash them and put them away. Every day I go through my mail, read the magazines and recycle them for my niece, peruse the catalogs then throw them out; and, put my bills together for when they need to be paid. There is no mail piling up on a table nor newspapers strewn throughout the house.
When you think of us who live alone – don’t think of us as “QUIRKY”; but, as individuals who for whatever reason have decided that we enjoy our time alone, our homes and the style of our lives which is really very much like yours; but, with no one else to share the good and the bad with.
Remember: We Are No Different – We Just Have To Do It By Ourselves.
One is the Quirkiest Number by Steven Kurutz, New York Times February 23, 2012
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