Thanks for your kind words Payne.
I definitely want to make some changes in my life. Being single and never having a SO didn't really bother me until about a year ago as I approached my 40th. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I got down. With the help of a friend, I'm back on more of an even keel, but haven't really addressed the loneliness I feel even though I share a house with a lady and her daughter who are as close to family as you can get. Unfortunately you can't reach the level of intimacy with a friend that I think I'm craving. We're are not, have not and will never be "with benefits"

I am slowly starting to become more comfortable with the idea of a therapist or something to help me find the tools or strategies to help me out of my shell. It's funny in a way, I can talk to people perfectly happily on here, but put me in front of a real-life person and I clam up like a ... erm ... clam (more so if that person is female).