Society often looks at single women my age with pity or surprise. They say there's something wrong with you if you're not in a relationship. But is that really true?

I'm not alone because I couldn't find anyone. I'm alone because I didn't want to be with anyone. I don't want to live in an empty relationship. I want a real one — a look that warms, hands that embrace not only the body but also the soul. Conversations until dawn. Silence that doesn't scare, because there's "your" man next to you.

Do I ever feel lonely? Yes. But it's better than losing yourself next to someone who doesn't feel you.

I'm learning to accept myself as I am. I'm 52. And I'm still alone. But this is not a sentence. It's an opportunity. An opportunity for something real, new, warm.

And how do you feel at your age? Are you afraid of loneliness? Or, on the contrary, have you found yourself in it?