I'm always curious about how and why people define 'single' the way
they do. That is, I think that for most people, when they meet someone
who identifies themselves as single, that means something specific, but
what it means varies from person to person. To me, it just means not
being in a serious relationship; I guess I equate it with 'available'.
But I know that for some, it distinctly means 'unmarried' (so for
example, my aunt would be considered single because even though she has
been living with the same man for about 30 years, she never married

him). To others, it means NEVER married - apparently, Dear Abby falls in that camp,
since she told a divorcee that calling herself single would not be
appropriate. I'm guessing she'd say the same to someone who was
widowed. As with many 'rules' of etiquette that haven't kept up with
the times, that bugs me. If someone wants to call themselves single,
who in the world has the right to tell that person he or she is 'wrong'?

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