I'm going on a self date tonight!

I’m just throwing this out there in case there are any single women who read this blog who feel like they have to wait to have someone join them to go out for a fun evening.  Have a self date! 

This won’t work for everyone.  Like when my kids still lived at home I always had to drag them with on my self dates since they needed to be fed and would have a riot if I saw a movie without them.  But at this stage of the game, where my main companion is a geriatric dog with dementia, I can take myself out on self dates as often as I want!

I am in a long distance relationship.  Have been for years!  And it doesn't interfere with my dating life at all. Here are some good reasons to self date…

No scheduling issues whatsoever! 

This makes the “event” stress free or at the least low stress.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve cancelled a self date because I was too lazy to get changed out of my saggy sweats so I could appear in public, or I’d had too many glasses of wine and shouldn’t go out anyway.  And my date didn’t get mad at me at all!  No hurt feelings to soothe!  So nice!

 

If you eat in, your house can be messy! 

For example, tonight I’m going to try a new coconut chicken recipe with a pineapple/sriracha salsa.  It sounds delicious!  But if it sucks, I don’t have to be embarrassed about it.  I can just eat a bowl of cereal and it’s all good!  My house is pretty cluttered, in fact my kitchen table is buried under papers and “stuff” and my kitchen sink is full of dirty dishes, but I’m not going to get all futzed up about it.  Who cares?  Not me!  And I will wash my dishes after I cook (maybe). 

No dressing up! 

You can go see whatever movie you want to see at whatever time works for you because hey, this is all about you! 
 

I should call it selfish dating instead of self dating.  Selfish dating is all about being your own bestie.  Showing yourself that you appreciate all the hard work that you do slaving to keep a roof over your own head!  (Or in my case struggling to stay awake at my desk some days and forcing myself not to feign illness so I can go home where I have a chance of doing something productive with my time – yeah, sometimes it’s slower than snail naps around here.)

Last time I took my grandkids to a movie with me I had one of them nudging me to let me know that her eyes were watering (it was a 3D movie and that can’t be watched without some issue apparently) or that her stomach wasn’t happy about her choice of snacks.  I’m just sitting there thinking “maybe I should have just taken myself to this movie so I wouldn’t have to worry about tummy troubles or watering eyes?”  Nah, I'll take them to a movie again, even if they are pesty, because they're just so darned cute!

When the date is over you can have a glass of wine or 3 and play World of Warcraft until the wee hours and laugh at how badly you type when under the influence…or you can listen to You Tube and post tons of songs that nobody else will listen to, on your Facebook page, and your friends might whisper to your kids, wondering if their Mom might be drunk?  It’s happened.  I know! 
 

If you’re feeling romantic you don’t even have to shave your legs to make that marginal effort!  <wink, wink>

 

While it’s not as much fun as “with company”…well hmmm, maybe sometimes it’s MORE fun than the company you’ve currently got going…it’s pretty much a sure thing you’ll be sleeping with a smile on your face by the time your selfish date night is over. 

 

Since I am one of those weird-zoids that has lively conversations with herself in her own head, pretty much constantly, I tend to be well entertained without a lot of external input.  Selfish dates are hassle free and guaranteed to be enjoyable for someone like me!  I wonder if they'd be enjoyable for the extrovert types?

I have no shame about bringing a good book to a restaurant and having a leisurely meal with my nose buried in it, except for being annoyed with the wait staff, who keep checking to see if I’m alright.  Yeah, and I was alright 5 minutes ago too!  Now where was I?

I’ll go to a movie and sit by myself without embarrassment.  My favorite is to sit on the aisle in the seat with a railing in front of it so I can prop my feet up during the movie or have quick access to the ladies room in case I drink too much soda during the movie.  No one to climb over.  And I get to sit in my favorite spot instead of where someone else is sure is the best view, often in the upper middle area.  I have my reasons.  I like aisles and room to stretch out! 

So don’t wait for one of those idiots on-line to ask you out!  Go out with your favorite person!  YOU!!  Cause you rock and I bet you’ll have a really great time with yourself if you just give yourself a chance! 

Tonight I’m baking myself that coconut chicken with pineapple salsa, then I’m going out to see the new Star Trek movie.  And knowing me, I’ll probably crash out pretty quickly by the time I get home because I’m a wuss and usually am really tired by Friday night but if not, I’ll be on World of Warcraft doing some bad typing if anyone cares to chat!  Now that’s a great night out for me! 

It would be better with Mr. Ken and knowing him he’d doze off DURING the movie since he’s been working harder than me all week, but since he’s 1200 miles away, this works.  We are such a wild couple.  Living la vida loca!  If I could only get him to play World of Warcraft!  (Like that’s gonna happen)    

Anyway, y’all have a great weekend!  And if you don’t have a date, date yourself and have a great time!  If you feel self conscious, DON’T!  I do this all the time and to my knowledge, nobody cares at all if they even bother to notice!