I am, by nature, a VERY social person. You might even call me a social butterfly. My mom says I never met a stranger, and more than one person has expressed admiration for the way that I make people feel comfortable enough to open up to me right away.
Plus, I love to talk. That helps.
And so, naturally, I'm normally surrounded by friends. I'm social at work, I go home and talk with my family, and then I go out with friends and either sit and chat with them or meet new people wherever we go. It's really nice.
It was a little strange, at first, going to Dallas completely by myself, without any plans to meet up with anyone while I was there for a long weekend. I got my own hotel room, went out to dinner by myself, shopped by myself, and watched some trashy television by myself. When my friend called, she seemed appalled (or at least very surprised) that I would go out to a restaurant by myself and sit at a small table alone and order and eat my dinner without any hurry to get back to my hotel room. And that's when I realized that, while I definitely couldn't do it every day, going on a mini-vacation alone can be completely GLORIOUS.
There was no one I need to chat inanely with, no one that was expecting me to entertain them with funny anecdotes or random facts, no one that I needed to listen to and counsel sagely. In short, it was a WONDERFUL break from a wonderful life.
I like people. I like being with people, having people laugh at me or talk to me. I like listening to people and solving problems for them, or just lending a sympathetic shoulder when they need one. I like meeting new people, getting to know someone better, smiling with strangers at bars, and spending time cultivating friendships.
But for four days, being alone, worrying only about your own thoughts and your own peace of mind, is really incredibly healthy and incredibly restorative.
I've got to do this again.
