We know that, and our advice to you is that 53 is no age, and you can really turn your life around.
That's a matter of perspective. Plenty of people enjoy their later years more than their early years. The fact is, the past is history, and all any of us have is the future, so let's make the best...
My advice to someone the wrong side of 50, is that there's still plenty of life left to enjoy, and that could still be with a partner. My dad died when my mum was 45, and she wasn't going to be rushing into a new relationship. She started seeing someone when she was 50, and they've now been...
Heavy (that's not supposed to be an impression on Neil from the Young Ones).
Thankfully I've never lived alone, as I know I wouldn't like it. Some people are happy living on their own and going out for company etc, I wouldn't be. If I was 26 and not living with a partner, I'd look for a house...