You're never too old to find love

DEAR SUSAN: I'm 82 and young at heart. I ride my bicycle, take long walks and eat only healthy food, so I'm slim and fit. I've been through a lot, and I've forgotten how to attract a male. It's not too late for love if I can find the right person. What do you suggest I do? Oh! Better tell you I am a Republican and belong to the National Rifle Association.

Deena, Santa Rosa, Calif.DEAR DEENA: You had me in your corner until the last sentence. Still, this is an equal-opportunity column, so let's get on with some good stuff that can bring you a mate. First off, put your locked gun in a safe place, out of sight and mind. Avoid political conversation until the two of you are friends and can disagree without being disagreeable.

Now, where to find this loving friend? Volunteering attracts good people with similar values. Entertaining hospitalized children and homeless young ones not only feels good but puts you into a world of people, physicians and nurses and appreciative parents. Same applies to being a teacher's assistant in a kindergarten class, working at an animal shelter, etc. Wherever there's need, helpers will be attracted. That's where you'll find good company, possibly more than that.DEAR SUSAN: You wrote: "For the first time, women are showing up at jazzy restaurants, their tables for two manless. They're buying homes and cars, good china and silver, taking pricey trips -- all without marriage. But men are noticing, and their unease is conspicuous." I thought that living happily with or without someone was your encouragement to men and women. Sounds as if you are saying women should avoid having full lives, as it will make the man feel as if he's not needed to "save" her. I think men's need to "save" women from poverty and despair and spinsterhood should be gone from society. Much better to love and be together because of that love and mutual respect.

From the InternetDEAR BLOGGER: Sigh -- a deep one, bordering on frustration. You say you understand my encouragement to the unmarried, which is living a life with the fewest possible borders and the most options. So then, how can you -- and why do you -- insist on misunderstanding the concept of undependence? It is wholeness and freedom that stay with you to the last day and is worth reaching for all the strength you can muster. Can I be any clearer? Send me your home address and my Declaration of Undependence will be yours. With kind regards.