Gosh Ariadne I can sooo relate. I've been single for a couple of years and early on felt this frantic sort of....oh my I don't know how to be alone.....so I dated a little but found so many people I met had many of the same issues that my ex had. So I started just staying home, doing things that needed doing, and slowly began to realize that I liked being alone sometimes. I like the freedom of not being at someone's beck and call, not always worrying about meeting a need, not walking on eggshells around another person's mood swings....I felt free. I don't know that I want to be all alone for the rest of my life, but I do what there to be boundaries and space. I am also inspired by your decision to get busy doing something productive and positive, like returning to school. That's something I've been thinking about too.