Me Time

Digging through my draft posts I came across one I was half way through way back in 2006. I had just visited the London Motor Show on my own, and was going to write about how I had begun to appreciate my exclusive company. The Motor Show was one of many activities I had been going alone to, from films and talks to museums and galleries. I was going to say how liberating and fulfilling it all was and how everyone should try it.

For some reason I never got to finish that post - luckily (and sometimes not so luckily) I've had the pleasure of company in most of my leisurely pursuits since that time. Although it would be terrible to complain about something that, I have recently wanted to start doing things on my own again, especially after what seems like a recent stint of heavy communal partying, socialising and general hanging out.

And so I made a point of watching today's film on my own; although I did invite others to join (documentaries aren't popular on a sunny Saturday afternoon it seems) I didn't push any of them to actually come.

I had forgotten how valuable spending time dossing out and about on your own actually is. It was nice being left to my own devices and thoughts, and made it clear how sometimes you forget who you really are as you become accustomed to defining yourself by bouncing off those around you.

So just like I was going to write two years ago, here are some good reasons why it's healthy to proactively try to do fun things on your own:

1. You may miss out on good things while waiting for others to join you.
2. There may be a time when you don't have a choice and have to do things on your own, and so it's a good idea to become comfortable with yourself now.
3. You may find yourself alone in a room full of people, reluctant to have yourself defined by those around you. It's good to know how to bring the person you want out in these situations.
4. It's helpful to really know yourself and who you are, and this is sometimes difficult to do in the exclusive company of others.
5. It's nice to be able to exist when no one else is around to appreciate you.

Nevertheless it (hopefully) goes without saying that I do absolutely enjoy the company of others, and definitely more so than when being alone - there's nothing like sharing a brilliant experience with friends, family and even otherwise. In fact it's telling how today's film had been suffixed by two parties (I crashed the second if you're wondering just exactly how popular I am) both of which were awesome purely because of the company present.

Still, I was glad to have some time on my own too - after all who wants to exist solely in the company of other people? Apart from during one specific situation (no prizes for guessing which), I don't think I do.