MissFixit, have you considered worse things than being without a partner? Sure, we all want a loving person with whom we can share our life. But this doesn't always happen.
If it doesn't happen, is this the worst thing that can happen to you? I married my AH when I was 49, after I had been divorced/separated from my ex for over two years. Why? BECAUSE I PRACTICALLY FREAKED OUT ONE DAY WHEN I WAS SITTING IN MY APARTMENT ALONE AND REALIZED, "HECK, I'M 47 YEARS OLD AND I DON'T WANT TO 'DATE' ANYMORE AND I'LL PROBABLY DIE ALONE AND SINGLE."
So see what I got for having that mindset? I'm alone anyway. I'm married to a drunk who has no interest in being sober. None. There is no love for what is left of the man I met. I don't hate him, but there is no emotional or physical intimacy, the marriage is a sham, and if I had gotten my head out of the mindset it was in, I wouldn't be where I am right now.
For me, personally, what is worse than not having a partner in my life? A whole lotta stuff; bankruptcy and cancer come to mind. As it is, being married to an A, do you think he would give a good cahoot if I had a debilitating or terminal disease? I doubt it ....
All of our fears are legitimate. But they are based, in my opinion, on a deep-seated fear of abandonment. People can leave us. People can walk away from us. They cannot abandon us. We can only abandon ourselves.