Dining Solo... (Would you do it?)

I began dining alone after I graduated from undergrad back in 2003. What? You actually dine alone? Yes. I moved to DC and suddenly found solace in dining solo. I could hear myself think. I could people watch and read faces. Suddenly the food tasted better, perhaps because I wasn't talking as much or enveloped in some mundane conversation about someone's day or horrible boss. No one looked at me strangely because I was dining alone. I didn't feel like I had a third eye. On the contrary, I felt comfortable and confident. Solo meant Solace. Opportunity. Love of onesself. Openness... the Freedom to breathe and do just as you please.

When I moved back to NC I got out of the dining solo mentality. It seemed that here the single life was more an affliction than a genuine way of life... So I folded and started spending more time inside the house unless I went with someone. *sigh*... Sometimes the greatest blessings in life come in ones, not twos or threes. I strive to remember that as I move forward as a one. Dining solo is one of the greatest undertakings of a single person. It may seem small, but it is however, a significant step in carving a niche of the world of your very own. Create a safe space anywhere you go. Shed the inhibitions.

So go out alone, grab a glass of wine, and toast to yourself before eating a sumptuous meal of lobster or lamb or perhaps a juicy burger and fries. I dare you. I'll be with you in spirit!! Cheers...