Most of us，when we reached our teens，started looking forward to the day when we would occupy places of our own，far from the confines of our families. We saw this moving away as a chance to strike out on our own，to grow，to spread out wings and experience freedom. At the same time，we regarded this independence as temporary-the thing to do until we found the perfect mate and married. Over the years，many millions of people have made this passage from one family to another，with just a brief，often nervous interval of independence in between. But recently，more and more people have begun to challenge the concept that living together is better than living alone. Being single is now accepted as an alternative lifestyle-one that is natural，rewarding，and complete. In fact，being single has become almost fashionable.
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