This sweet video, which I stumbled upon this weekend thanks to Kristina, made me think: how much time, on average, do I spend alone per day? Per week? Per month?
I’m single, twenty-six, and a freelancer who works from home. These three things add up to a lot—a lot—of alone time. And in general, I'm fine with this. Being alone means having the freedom to daydream, read magazines in bed on Sunday mornings, write by lamplight til three AM, sing along to embarrassing music that anyone in their right mind would turn off if they were there. But, they’re not.
I do, of course, have friends. But I’ve found I’ve reached an unsettling---and somewhat surreal---time in my life when everyone I know seems to have a partner. (I can count on one hand the number of close friends who are not involved in serious, long-term relationships.) Dwelling on this sometimes makes my alone-ness feel more significant than it is. But, like I said, I’m comfortable with it—most of the time.
I get the feeling that being on my own, much like many other aspects of getting older, is something I'll get better at with time. Right now, I’m perfectly happy to shop alone, cook alone, watch movies alone, jog alone (how anyone can run and hold a conversation at the same time is beyond me anyway). But there are certain activities I’m not sure I’d be brave enough to attempt solo just yet: going to dinner at a nice restaurant, for example. Or spending a weekend away. I love the idea of these things, but I know I’d feel self-conscious—and maybe a little lonely—if it actually came to doing them.
How do you feel about spending time alone? Do you love it? Hate it? Wish you could do it more often? Let's discuss!
Video by Andrea Dorfman and Tanya Davis.