On doing things alone

I love doing things by myself. I think it mostly had to do with my growing up in a big family. My parents had nine children and while we never all lived together under the same roof at once (when one moved away, out popped another ~~~ that's pretty much how it happened) our home was always full and chaotic. Trying to have alone time - peace and quiet even - was like trying to find a four leaf clover. You don't. Growing up surrounded by people as a child made me crave solidarity as an adult. Which is why it's so natural for me to always want to do things by myself. I'll go out to eat at a restaurant alone, watch a movie alone, hang out at the park alone, get drinks at a coffee shop alone. 

There's this stigma about being seen alone though. It's weird, I love being alone, but I'm surrounded by people who aren't into it. They worry that strangers will think they're either anti-social, weird or gasp, have no friends (I'm not generalizing, my friends have told me this). They feel self-conscious about being out alone. It's normal to feel that way, and that's okay. I always tell them, "Once you're comfortable to the point where you don't care about what others think, you'll finally see how liberating it feels to spend time with yourself." Alone. In public. Trust me. It's relaxing. It's fun. It's different.

No longer will you have wait on people or sacrifice what you want to do to make sure your friends are happy. It sounds selfish, maybe, but I don't mean it to be. What I'm saying is, every once in awhile it's nice to spend some time alone and not have to worry about anyone else but yourself. You'll learn to push yourself out of your comfort zone, observe your surroundings, and really take time to take things in. Plus, it's one of the best ways to meet and talk to strangers who you otherwise would not have met because you're too busy consumed in a conversation with your own friends. I don't know. I know I'm more willing to strike up a conversation with someone sitting by themself rather than with a group of friends. 

In the spirit of my speech about the importance of "me time" here's something I did alone recently:

Most mornings I'll wake up with an urge to do something and without thinking, I just get up and do it. At 6am today, before I could even open my eyes, I knew I wanted to go hiking. So I did what any normal person would do. I packed my bags and headed for the mountains. The drive alone was so calm and peaceful. Add in the rolled down windows, crisp air, fresh rain, the scent of dewy grass, and empty roads - it was very nice. 

I'm rambling on too much. Long story short, I had a great time. I met and talked to so many older folks, hiked part ways with a group of kids, and met a few sweet pups along the way. 

I also got to sit at the top of a hill to enjoy this view of the valley with no one else but my thoughts.