Corporate Peon: Thoughts on Alone Activities


Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Thoughts on Alone Activities

No, this isn't a blog about masturbation (sorry, folks). Since I posted the news about my trip to Italy, I've heard from a couple of you about your feelings on traveling alone. I've seen this as a conversation topic in other blogs, and thought I'd add my perspective.

I don't think I'm brave or special or tough for traveling alone. Part of me thinks of it as desperate; part of me thinks of it as resigned. And it can definitely be scary. Okay, so maybe a small part of me thinks of it as adventurous. But when it comes right down to it...I do it because if I didn't, I wouldn't do much of anything.

As you know, if you've read me at all, I don't have an active social life where I live. The folks who do live by me, that I enjoy, are a) few and far between, b) interested in different things than me (I?), c) not close enough distance-wise to warrant a random dinner/movie/night out. So, either I do these things alone, or I wonder what it's like to see Limp Bizkit & Eminem in concert, and what the the sunsets in Mykonos look like, and whether 'The Notebook' as a movie is as good as the book.

Some activities are best shared. And as good as seeing those Grecian sunsets was, it could have been just that much better if I had had someone - a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a family member - with me to share those same experiences. The flip side, however, is that if you're with the wrong person, the experience loses some of its magic.

So, I 'choose' to see the sights, cities and movies by myself, rather than risk not seeing them, or seeing them with someone who will detract from my experience. It's far from the ideal, but it works for me. Mainly because it has to.


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