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Bette's avatar

This is a thought-provoking piece, and it resonated with me, esp the para about the ex-husband and your "selfishness." IMO, it's not possible to be "a woman who lives, truly and wholly for herself and the work of her mind" and be in a committed relationship with another live-in romantic partner. Partnership implies that you will think of the other at least some, if not most, of the time, and be willing to make sacrifices of time and money and presence. I think one reason the "living apart together" movement has gained steam recently is that it's the only way women can truly live for themselves and have any hope of sustaining a relationship.

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Micheline Maynard's avatar

When I visited Walden Pond, I thought about Thoreau going off by himself to live in his cabin, except for occasional trips into Concord for his mother to do his laundry. He’s hailed as a genius, but he was basically a man of privilege who had the luxury of sequestering himself to write.

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