According to the census, the single-person household is the fastest growing residence since the 1980s. If you are in this category, at least you can feel that you are not alone … except, maybe, at dinner time while eating a chicken burrito over the sink.

Whether you have been a single senior forever, or for the second, third, or fourth time, etc. or because your better half decided to jump the line ahead of you to the big buffet in the sky, makes no matter. Single is still one, and not two or a group, but a person who is not married or in a romantic relationship, but probably is looking for one. You know, another Valentines Day has come and gone again, and another chocolate heart lies melting on the kitchen counter.

But there are oh so many outlets for single seniors besides staring at that living room wall above the Boob Tube: dating, cruises, bingo parties, dancing or dance lessons, bridge games, art classes at the local community college or senior center, and many more. But Wait! Oh No! Not a retirement community. That’s not real living for active single creatures. Action is the only answer. But getting into the action is just half the gender battle. You can't expect a neighbor or friend to fix you up with a suitable gentleman or lady. You have to get out there.

Sometimes at a party, art class, or a political rally for Saving the Whale, conversation, that is breaking the ice, is hard to get into with an unfamiliar person you want to get to know. If it is another senior maybe you can start with some trivia questions, like: “Do you remember Blackjack chewing gum” or “Telephone numbers with a word prefix like Olive – 6933, or “S&H Green Stamp,” or “How about that Bill Haley and the Comets?” Any of these can be a conversation starter … or stopper.

But, an ultimate test is: “Do you remember washtubs with wringers?” which puts you in a league with the household populace. But, if you ask, “Do you remember Mimeograph paper?” then you reveal that you are a relic from the business world. Any of these questions can result in a smile, or a curious eye-brow arch, or even a walk-away, or the ultimate-success answer, “Yes, I do”. And then it starts … maybe.

You could just resort to those old standbys, “Hello”, or “Hi”. Those worked in the old days. Other seniors might remember and avoid you if you immediately start talking about the latest web site you have discovered. If your target is of the younger generation, then give it a shot.

You should use conversation starters that suit your style and personality. If you tend to be a silly person, so do conversation starters that tend to be a little weird. If you are a serious tight-tie individual, be serious and straight-laced; just don’t overdo it … and good luck.

If it were only as easy as that old program, The Dating Game; Remember? Typically, a bachelorette (chiefly an American term for an unmarried woman) would question three bachelors (a man who has never been married, i.e., single) who were hidden from her view; at the end of the questioning period, she would choose one to go out with one a date paid for by the show. Occasionally, the roles would be reversed with a man questioning three ladies; if life were only that easy. Single senior life is similar to this game, but for real, without a curtain to hide the gray and wrinkles.

But be careful. Being a Single Senior is a special condition that must be cherished like your nest egg. Just remember what George Bernard Shaw observed, “It is a woman’s business to get married as soon as possible, and a man’s to keep unmarried as long as he can.” But on he other side of the coin, “Marrying a man is like buying something you've been admiring for a long time in a shop window. You may love it when you get it home, but it doesn't always go with everything else in the house,” said Jean Kerr - playwright. Heads or tails, either side, you will lose if you lose your singleship.

Make friends and interact. Don't think of it as looking for Mr. or Ms. Right. Do things and experience the art of being. In your later years you have so much life left in you and there are so many opportunities to live out there if you will just take a chance. Fun is still the key to happiness. “It’s never too late to have a happy childhood,” Tom Robbins (Still Life with a Woodpecker).