Isolated, but here?

It's the weirdest thing. After Saturday night's exciting outing (not!), I got to thinking about why I did it alone. And find myself in a strange place.

I'm one of the few people my age who is still single. Most of my friends are married and have lives that keep them very busy. There's kids and husbands/wives to care for, a family routine to follow, other committments. It's hard to find someone who can dash out for a cup of coffee on a few minute's notice.

I tend to get along better with guys than with girls. But as most of my friends are married, I've taken to keeping a bit of a distance. I don't want to incite jealousy from a wife who thinks I'm a bit too chummy with her husband! The single guys are generally way too young - at a completely different stage in life, where we find it difficult to relate to each other. The girls I'm friendly with, but it's been years since I had a Best Friend. Most simply don't have the time to develop those deep relationships. And the only single mom I know who might live in a similar mind-space, I don't really get along that great with.

So I find myself a bit isolated. I've got friends, but none too close, none that I can just drop by and see or spend hours talking to over a cup of coffee. None that I can grab at the last minute to simply get out of the house a bit.

It's not that I'm lonely - just every now and then it would be nice to not do things alone.

I've been trying to figure this one out - to find a solution. My online community is one place where I hang, and enjoy it. But the off-line one? Not quite so easy...