Tonight I took myself out on a date. It was kind of great.
Most single women will tell you that dating is hard. I'm here to say that it's not only hard, it's exhausting and exciting and hilarious and exhausting. Over the past year, I have been on at least two dozen dates with various men. Some of them have been great. Many of them have been enjoyable. A handful of them have been downright awful. The absolute best included a stroll through a small-town carnival and a shared Dairy Queen Blizzard. The worst began with the guy telling me he thought he was going to vomit and trying to shove three dollars in my hand to purchase my own cup of coffee; it ended fewer than twenty minutes later with him becoming angry that I wouldn't allow him to be my Facebook friend. (Despite his pleas, we did NOT go out again.)
Tonight, after a long day of boxing up my belongings in preparation for my upcoming move, I wanted to be treated to a hot cup of coffee and good conversation. Alas, I hadn't been asked out by any knight in shining armor for coffee and conversation, and my attempts to contact friends whom I knew to be home this evening were futile. I watched a bad romantic comedy and moped. Then it started to rain, and I turned on some bad 90s romantic ballads and moped.
Around 7:30, I ventured to the hallway vanity and took a good, hard look at myself in the mirror. I looked tired and frumpy. I told myself that it was time for me to say yes to changing my night around. I did deserve to be treated to a hot cup of coffee and good conversation, and I didn't need to wait around for someone else to initiate an enjoyable evening. I washed my face and put on some makeup. I changed from sweats and a tank top into a chic summer outfit and pinned back my hair. I slapped on some lip gloss, grabbed my computer, and high-tailed it to Starbucks, where I promptly purchased myself a skinny mocha latte. I sat my cute bum down at a table, plugged in my laptop, and logged into Facebook, where I found several friends with whom I chatted the evening away.
I often tell my friends that they are strong, capable women. And they are. I need to remember more often that I am also a strong, capable woman. It's nice to be taken out for coffee and conversation by a manly man with a truck and a five o'clock shadow and perhaps a deep love for nineteenth century feminist literature. I discovered this evening that it can be just as nice and, in some cases, even better to take myself out - to tell myself I'm beautiful, treat myself to an overpriced beverage, and enjoy the company of whomever I choose (whether that be myself or my friend who couldn't drive 90 miles to see me face-to-face but could chat with me from her kitchen table through the magic of technology.) A great night can simply include me enjoying time with me, because it turns out that I'm a pretty nifty person to hang out with.
I'm not going to be turning down dinner dates with Prince Charming to take myself to coffee any time soon. I am, however, going to spend less time wishing someone would change my circumstances and more time getting off my rear and changing them myself. Maya Angelou once said, "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude." I may not be able to wish a tall, handsome stranger with roses and an Americano into my life, but I can certainly manage to slip on some pumps and hop down to the coffee shop for a latte every now and then, and I can choose to enjoy the heck out of that experience.
I think tonight went well. I'll probably ask me out again soon. And we all know I'll say yes.
Most single women will tell you that dating is hard. I'm here to say that it's not only hard, it's exhausting and exciting and hilarious and exhausting. Over the past year, I have been on at least two dozen dates with various men. Some of them have been great. Many of them have been enjoyable. A handful of them have been downright awful. The absolute best included a stroll through a small-town carnival and a shared Dairy Queen Blizzard. The worst began with the guy telling me he thought he was going to vomit and trying to shove three dollars in my hand to purchase my own cup of coffee; it ended fewer than twenty minutes later with him becoming angry that I wouldn't allow him to be my Facebook friend. (Despite his pleas, we did NOT go out again.)
Tonight, after a long day of boxing up my belongings in preparation for my upcoming move, I wanted to be treated to a hot cup of coffee and good conversation. Alas, I hadn't been asked out by any knight in shining armor for coffee and conversation, and my attempts to contact friends whom I knew to be home this evening were futile. I watched a bad romantic comedy and moped. Then it started to rain, and I turned on some bad 90s romantic ballads and moped.
Around 7:30, I ventured to the hallway vanity and took a good, hard look at myself in the mirror. I looked tired and frumpy. I told myself that it was time for me to say yes to changing my night around. I did deserve to be treated to a hot cup of coffee and good conversation, and I didn't need to wait around for someone else to initiate an enjoyable evening. I washed my face and put on some makeup. I changed from sweats and a tank top into a chic summer outfit and pinned back my hair. I slapped on some lip gloss, grabbed my computer, and high-tailed it to Starbucks, where I promptly purchased myself a skinny mocha latte. I sat my cute bum down at a table, plugged in my laptop, and logged into Facebook, where I found several friends with whom I chatted the evening away.
I often tell my friends that they are strong, capable women. And they are. I need to remember more often that I am also a strong, capable woman. It's nice to be taken out for coffee and conversation by a manly man with a truck and a five o'clock shadow and perhaps a deep love for nineteenth century feminist literature. I discovered this evening that it can be just as nice and, in some cases, even better to take myself out - to tell myself I'm beautiful, treat myself to an overpriced beverage, and enjoy the company of whomever I choose (whether that be myself or my friend who couldn't drive 90 miles to see me face-to-face but could chat with me from her kitchen table through the magic of technology.) A great night can simply include me enjoying time with me, because it turns out that I'm a pretty nifty person to hang out with.
I'm not going to be turning down dinner dates with Prince Charming to take myself to coffee any time soon. I am, however, going to spend less time wishing someone would change my circumstances and more time getting off my rear and changing them myself. Maya Angelou once said, "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude." I may not be able to wish a tall, handsome stranger with roses and an Americano into my life, but I can certainly manage to slip on some pumps and hop down to the coffee shop for a latte every now and then, and I can choose to enjoy the heck out of that experience.
I think tonight went well. I'll probably ask me out again soon. And we all know I'll say yes.
No comments:
Post a Comment