Tuesday Favorites: Things I like to do alone

I know some people dislike being alone... many prefer the company of others. While I definitely cherish my time with family and friends, I take my solitude very seriously. Some of the things I will be listing below are things I like to do with others as well, but are particularly delicious to do alone once in a while.

1. Nothing

That may sound like a cop-out, but I feel like a slug if there's someone else around while I'm not doing anything. I like being alone in the apartment, with my cat on my lap, just listening to my thoughts, or the weather (it's really nice to do nothing when it's raining), or music. Without someone around, I don't need to put in a movie or talk... I can just be. Once a month, or once a week, this is just a great way to recharge my batteries.

2. Go to the movies

I get the most looks from this admission. Most people can't imagine going to the movies alone. But, for me, I like having no one to laugh or cry or comment sitting next to me if it's a movie to which I really wish to connect. When I was a Harry Potter fan, I used to go to the movie on opening day and see it by myself before seeing it with other people (made for a really long day when the third movie came out... had to see it four times in one day since people wanted to "see it with me"... I just lived in the theater that day). I didn't want other to hear all the reactions during my first screening. I was there to see filmmakers capture a story that made literary history. Sometimes I like to see really bad movies by myself... then no one knows I was there or would want to see such silliness. I don't do this often... but, once in a while, it's nice to sit in the dark by myself and just dive into another world.

3. Reading

No, duh, right? This is a solitary activity. But, I've been known to do more reading with people around than on my own. I'm either at work or at home or in between visits with friends. I like to make a big, lonely show for myself. Once, I was at the end of a book I had really enjoyed. I knew I would finish it the next day. So, I waited for David to go to work, then I made myself some toast with honey and a strong cup of tea, propped up the pillows on the futon in the guest room, and finished my book as the sun filtered through the blinds. When reading something I really like, something I'm just sinking my teeth into, I like to be on my own and making for myself a proper setting in which to enhance this already very personal experience.

4. Going out to bars or coffeehouses

This is another activity that seems to surprise people when I say that I like to occasionally go out to bars or coffee joints alone. I, of course, also like to go with other people, but when I'm alone, I'm more in tuned to the people around me. I'm also more aware of myself. It's an opportunity for escape as well as people-watching. Some days I'm fascinated with how different people can be, and other days I'm just being French and laughing at what strangers (mostly teenagers) are wearing or saying. Yes, that's kind of mean... which is why I have to do it alone and infrequently. I don't do it to feel better about myself (because you will inevitably come across lovelier and better-dressed people than you). I guess it's my version of Grand Theft Auto. It's a terrible game, right? You are supposed to steal things and kill people. My brothers play it to blow off steam from the stress of the day... and that's why I do the French thing and silently critique random people. I tried playing Smash Brothers when I lived at my parents' house to vent my worldly frustrations (I would beat the hell out of that little yellow rat, Pikachu), but I'm not a big fan of video games. When I'm not being French, I read or journal and enjoy something delectable to drink... just a nice way to spend an afternoon.

5. Driving

I do certainly like having company on some long trips... particularly if I don't feel like driving. Still, I do get the itch to drive myself far away... blare my radio... leave the windows down... and just GO. I get a lot of thinking done that way and whenever I get to where I'm going, I'm usually in a pretty good mood. Driving alone also leads to visits you want to make in private... like driving by my grandmother's old house. Once in a while, I get this urge to drive by and try to remember afternoons running around in the front yard with my cousins. Fortunately, so far, no one has ever been outside the house when I have visited... the lights are usually on, however, so I can imagine, for a moment, that maybe my grandmother is still alive and inside cooking or watching TV from her rocking chair.

The things I distinctly dislike doing alone include cooking, dancing, shopping, going to museums or music concerts, and taking walks outdoors.

What about you?