Celebrating Time Alone: Stories of Splendid Solitude

Almost forty million Americans now live alone, a 24 percent leap from the last decade. Single person households, predict demographic trends analyst Cheryl Russell, could become the most common household type in the US by the year 2005 and yet, being alone scares most people more than anything except death. In fact, this fear is so ingrained that many people seek their answers, their happiness and their very selves in others and lose sight of who they are and where they are going. In this book, Lionel Fisher shares his personal reflections on solitude, brought into sharp focus by living alone for six years on a remote Pacific Northwest beach. He supplemented his own reflections by embarking on a sixteen state, 15000-mile journey in search of men and women who have stretched the envelope of their aloneness to Waldenesque proportions. He also spoke with their urban counterparts who, through necessity or choice, prefer to savour their individuality in smaller servings. In a writing style that is at once eloquent and down-to-earth, Fisher interweaves real-life stories from people he interviewed with his own anecdotes to offer counsel, inspiration, affirmation, insights, encouragement and advice on living well alone. He also includes a treasury of quotes. All material is intended to help us learn to use our solitude and period of aloneness for self-discovery and personal growth - whether we choose aloneness or have it thrust on us. This is a type of book that people will photocopy pages from to send to loved ones or tack up on their refrigerators as they do "Dear Abby" columns.