Call it self-centered, if you like that better. I've said before on this site that we singles naturally tend to be kind of selfish. I felt bad for friends and relatives who got cancer, but when I got it myself at age 25, my first thought was, 'Why me?' Well, why not, Jack? You're not invincible, as much as you may want to be. We see bad things happening to other people and while it may upset us, tragedy never really hits home until it happens to you personally. A few singles might argue they've had a bad life, that nothing went right- ever. We've all had 'bad days.' Some of us have had bad years, when one thing went wrong after another. Somehow we honestly believe we should be able to skate through life without anything unpleasant happening to us. I don't know where it comes from, but each of us has a little built-in sense of entitlement. I can't count the times I've asked, 'Why me?' I'm sure you've done the same thing. When bad things happen to good people, like you and me, our first reaction is shock. That's normal, but usually it's not healthy. Too often you view things through your emotions instead of reason. One of the problems with being single is your thinking gets twisted. Barely hanging on: Perception or reality? Now I'm going to share those lessons with you. Other times I handled the situation better. Sometimes I made dumb, painful decisions. I couldn't see them right then, but I've had decades to reflect on those turning points. Looking back, I can see patterns in how I made it through. I thought it was the end, and yet, here I am today, safe and sound. You work for a solution, pray for one-even beg God-but nothing changes. We all go through crisis periods in life, those times when things pile up and there seems no way out. Barely hanging on? That's how many singles describe themselves.

Barely Hanging On by Berry Hodge