Richer living
for single Christians:
A Singles Survival Guide, by Diane Kingston
On a
practical note
- Be honest with people, and admit to
needing company or help when this is the case. You are
not alone. People like to be needed and are usually ready
to help.
- Find someone local who can be trusted
with a spare key to your home. This can save embarrassing
moments when you lock yourself out!
- If you live alone, identify someone
who you can contact in an emergency, perhaps to do a bit
of shopping you are housebound with something like flu or
a bad back. Ideally, this person should also have a spare
key to your home.
- If you no longer live with your
parents or next of kin, find someone who knows how to get
in touch with your next of kin should the need arise -
you might need to find someone to be your "next of
kin"; this could be a close friend.
- However young you are, ensure that you
have an up-to-date will, and that your next of kin knows
where it is kept. This can help ease a lot of heart ache
for those you leave behind. You might like to include how
you would like your funeral to be conducted.
- Coping with aged or ailing parents
becomes more of an issue as we get older. It doesn’t
matter how far or close they live, or if you have
brothers and sisters or are on your own. You still need
to find a mutual level of support to keep everyone happy.
Try to discuss the expectations each of you has of
others. It is important to arrange time and space to care
for yourself too. Various agencies are there to help you
and those you are caring for. You could ask for advice
from a doctor, or agencies such as Help The Aged,
Citizens Advice, and Social Services.
- When parents die is a tough time for
anyone, so be good to yourself. Allow yourself time to
grieve. Acknowledge when you need help and be prepared to
ask for it.
- Be there for friends caring for an
ailing parent, or when a parent dies. Be ultra-sensitive
to their needs, even if they appear to be coping. Think
of ways of offering to help, like doing their ironing,
cutting their grass, or taking around meals. Their
outlook on life may change and you might find that you
need to be flexible to respond to that.
>>>Forward to the next section (And finally......)
<<<Back to the previous section (Is there anyone out there?)
Back to the index
I'd love to hear from you - email me and let me
know what you think
If you have enjoyed this guide
then please pass the web site address (URL) to everyone else who
you think will benefit from it.
This guide is free for your own personal use. Please ask for my
permission before reproducing any of it in any form or anywhere.
Copyright©Diane Kingston 2001