Hi there,
This week’s topic is one that inspires a lotttta passionate discourse: the state of singleness. Being single is often treated like a temporary leg of the journey rather than the destination itself, but when 25% of 40-year-olds in the U.S. have never been married (compared to just 6% in the 1980s), it seems like more people are settling into romantically unattached lives. This week’s contributor, Ismene Ormonde, explores her journey of embracing singledom, including a stop in Sicily… not too shabby.
So without further ado, to the beach!
The Prism Team
Ismene Ormonde is a culture writer and essayist based in London, with words in The Guardian, Observer, and Byline, amongst others. She writes about the pursuit of pleasure on her Substack.
One thing that makes Ismene feel well: Lying down in the sun until I'm sweating and then jumping into cold water always makes me feel alive and happy and healthy!!
The limitless pleasure of being single.
Back in winter, I was telling some guy about my mum’s life as a single woman. She lives on an island off the coast of Sicily, her days structured around morning swims, afternoon writing sessions in cafés, and evening aperitivi with her friends. “The world makes you feel like the worst thing you can be as a woman is older and single,” I said, “But she isn’t alone. She’s living this beautiful life.”
That was when he interrupted me, putting his hand on mine. “That’s so sad,” he said, “People aren’t meant to be single.”