I lost my beautiful wife to cancer earlier this year. She battled bravely for 17 years and was particularly unwell needing care in the final two years. I loved my wife with all of my heart and in those final years and months we talked about what I would do after she had passed. She wanted me to find someone else and be happy and at the time I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else. However, now that she is gone I find that I would like to find someone else. I don’t want to be on my own and at 62 I know that time isn’t my friend. I know I could wallow in my grief but that won’t bring her back and it is easy to see how weeks can turn into months which could turn into years. I feel that I gave my wife everything and loved her with every fibre of my being but I think that most people will not understand my desire to build a new life with someone else. I know that if I meet someone now it will be scorned upon but what is the right time? Do you wait until you think others would approve or do you carry on and try and make the best of a life that you would not have chosen but have ended up with. Seriously tied up in knots here.
After our conversations about me meeting someone else and being 'happy' again, I said to my husband that I'm not possibly going through losing someone like this again
However, I think I would like 'someone' to be 'there' (I think) to go for meals or the cinema or theatre with. It's taken me 3 years to even think about this but I do understand some people feel the need to be part of a couple sooner.
All I would say Stclair is don't rush yourself into something too quickly
Sometimes people get along with someone they already know in their friendship circle, because they're familiar to them and know to a certain degree how they tick 
if that makes sense?
It's still really early days for you and you should take time to grieve your loss - small steps at a time and day by day- it will get easier
