Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Table for one.

As a single 20-something I do a lot of things alone.

This past weekend I was alone for most of the weekend. Not like in a weird or depressing way, just alone. Not to be confused with lonely.

My friends were busy or out of town, my parents were in Black Butte, my sister was running Hood to Coast. This all added up to me spending the weekend alone.  This is something I have grown accustomed to. Don’t get all depressed for me. I'm not sad about it or anything, I just wanted to share my experience in case anyone is having a similar one.

I used to always have someone with me. I wouldn’t do anything alone. Seriously nothing. During college I went to the grocery store with roommates. I never got a pedicure alone. Even if I was just running to grab a coffee, someone would join the party.

Here is an example of the co-dependence I had in college. These are my friends napping at my house as I got ready for my sorority formal. They were simply there to keep me company as I primped:

Lauren and Marina keeping me company (circa '09)

These days I go it alone more often than not. Part of it is that I don’t live with 4 other girls anymore! Also, I have a full-time job and I am not in a relationship.

And to be honest, I have kind of enjoyed this transition and time in my life. I like going to coffee, contributing to the community crossword and lingering there for a bit to people watch. I like the independence and have learned to embrace the alone time.

I am of course saying these things in a Destiny’s Child ‘Independent Woman’ moment. Call me in a month when I am desperate for a relationship and I’ll eat these words while wallowing on my personal island of loneliness.

I have yet to eat at a sit down restaurant alone. But when I do, I will be sure to let you know. I mean, I have eaten at a restaurant where you order at the counter and say “for here.” But I haven’t done the menu at the table with a cloth tablecloth thing alone.  Do people do that? Or is that reserved for the fancy confident single ladies of Sex and The City and Nicholas Sparks novels?

For now I leave you with this:


3 comments:

  1. I love this! Being independent is so liberating. I love people watching.

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  2. um... alone is the new together! ;) I am similarly alone alot. Its easy to feel self-conscious about it - like at our age we should always have friends around. I honestly get exhausted by people sometimes, and look forward to being alone. And I know its done alot to push me along the path to adulthood. I wish we could be alone together more though!?!

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  3. Girl you speak right to my heart right now. In college I was in a sorority and loved having someone, at all hours of the day/night, to do things with. I live with the boyfriend now in a brand new city so I spend tons of time alone since boyfriend works different hours than me. Needless to say my blog gets a lot of attention now :-) It's satisfying but foreign all at the same time.

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