On March 30, @thelilynews asked to hear from women who are self-quarantined alone. We got almost 1,300 responses. Those responses became 20+ interviews, which became 7 stories: one woman living alone in each decade, ages 24 to 86. (a thread)
There have never been this many women living alone. The last time we experienced anything like this — the 1918 flu — most women left their parents' homes to move in with their husbands. Now we're staying single longer, choosing to end marriages or not get married at all.
Some women told us they wish they weren't alone, others said they wouldn't have it any other way. To pass the time, women said they've been trimming hedges, making memes, baking cookies without flour. Some could remember the exact moment they last touched another person.
Maria Salinas, 24, asked her mom to call her every day at exactly 8 a.m. She needed someone to hold her accountable. “‘I told her, ‘Mom, I’m going nuts.’”
Gina Fernandes, 33, has been avoiding virtual game nights with her college friends. Almost all of them have partners. “Everybody is coupled up, like Noah’s Arc. Here we are at the end of the world and I am in my apartment for one.”
Jennifer Jachym, 46, can’t stop thinking about sex. “I don’t think, ‘I can’t wait to hug my sister’ or ‘I can’t wait to pat my dad on the back.’ Nope, my mind goes right down to the gutter.”
Joi Cardwell, 52, decided one day to dance barefoot with a glass of rosé at 1 o’clock in the afternoon. “I don’t feel burned-out anymore.”
Irma Villarreal, 61, recently lost her husband of 35 years. She’s been talking to him more lately, sitting in her sunroom to be close to his urn. “I really miss you,” she’ll say. “This is a really hard time.”
Hazel Feldman, 70, lives in an apartment complex with 1,000+ units. She has no family. She’s been home with a cough, worrying about groceries. “The news keeps saying, ‘People are coming together.’ They might be coming together, but not here, not in these types of buildings.”
Bettye Barclay, 86, has always imagined a “loving farewell,” her family gathered around as she says goodbye. She’s realizing it wouldn’t be that way now. “If I should die ... I die alone.”
Read the full story here: thelily.news/women-living-a…
I am blown away by the number of people who have reached out today to help Hazel with groceries. Thank you, people are so good. She is all set.
Thank you again, everyone, for your concern about Hazel from the women living alone story. But please do not try to contact her. She is hearing from many, many people she doesn’t know — it’s scary and overwhelming. She is all set on groceries and feeling much better.
Please check in on your own elderly or immunocompromised neighbors — you never know who could use a little support.
