Are YOU a good date to yourself?

I came across an article today touting the importance of dating yourself. In other words, learning how to enjoy some quality 'me time'. As a girl who has been largely single for most of her life, I highly encourage people to do this. Whether for good or bad, I've had many long months where I will find most of my friends in a combination of school-boyfriends-engagements-kids that equal a 'dry spell' for me, since I had no significant other with which to fall back on to do things with. So often times I am pitted against a Saturday or Sunday with a whole city at my disposal and no one to share i with. Well. No one except ME.

     So, like the 21st century girl I was raised to be I dress pretty, don makeup, do my hair up, and hit the town (oh alright, the oh-so-convenient Irvine Spectrum)! Often times I go see a movie and then grab lunch before happily skipping off to the book store to consume vast amounts of stories. I have no problem eating by myself with nothing to distract me (Although I admit I sometimes bring a book because I love reading). I remember once--but not long ago--a woman working at the resturaunt I was eating at came up to me and asked me,

"Are you here by yourself?"

I replied that I was.

"Oh wow," she said with something suspiciously like awe, "I could never do that! That's so brave! Good for you!"

    Since when did enjoying your own company become tantamount to being brave? Is it really so socially unconventional to be a woman and ENJOY sitting by yourself and being amused by the conversations you hear around you (some might call it eaves dropping. I call it finding my next one liner.)? Why can men do it and no one questions them? I really do feel that sometimes if you're a woman and by yourself--i.e. not dating any one, or you have the implication that you're not dating any one--that you must be some one to be pitied. Why?

    If you actually LIKE yourself, being alone isn't even something you really question. I don't at least. I suppose at one time or another during my life I've had to amuse myself. I learned to  do things that I liked because as a child, I never really had any one my age to play with. So I played make pretend and climbed trees by myself. The only difference now is that I go to a movie, or take a walk, or travel to a different country by myself instead of playing with barbies. After reading the article I had to admit though, I really do enjoy 'dating' myself. I like my company, I constantly amuse myself with my thoughts--which probably scares the poor people around me who wonder why I'm giggling--and I find that I'm much more aware of things around me than I would be if I were with some one.

      At what seems like the very old age of 26, I have realized some truths about my life thus far. Whether I have a serious relationship with a man or not, I will always have myself. Perhaps for some people that's not very comforting, but maybe that's because they don't like their own company. However I can always count on myself to take me out to a nice restaurant, buy flowers and chocolates, or even spoil me with a massage at a spa! Having a boyfriend would be wonderful, but until that happens, more and more often I find that I LIKE the thought of doing things by myself--and for myself.