Go on a date with yourself

I've always wanted to visit a different country alone. Unfortunately, I like people too much & have been too chicken thus far. I took myself out a couple of times though: a quick afternoon at the arboretum in my college town, on a day rediscovering a childhood city, a spontaneous 13 hr bus ride to Chicago (where a friend ended up hosting me so i don't know if that counts), from downtown DC to Georgetown by foot & to see Starry Night at MoMA. But my favorite was last winter. I went on a date with myself.

​​ I watched Aladdin on Broadway; ran the last 3 mins to get to the right entrance before the show. I sat beside a couple that smiled a lot. Later that spring, two of my friends would spontaneously sneak in to the theater under a janitor(?)'s supervision and pocket insignificant extra props lying around... a gem from Jasmine's costume or a piece of Jafar's magic stick thing. The theater was pretty but not as pretty as the Phantom of the Opera's. Post-Aladdin, I walked a couple blocks to Carlo's Bakery and instead of getting anything baked, I bought a single strawberry dipped in chocolate and sat there and ate the whole thing. On lonely days, sweets make me crave more sweets, I ventured out to Bryant Park and bought a waffle with strawberries & whipped cream. Proceeded to perch on top of the ice skating rink & watch people. The Christmas flea market had recently closed its last shop, the only sign it was ever there was the tree that stood tall against the NY Public Library in all its ornaments and lights.

I put my phone away for a whole 20 mins until I looked up and realized how beautiful the city was. I wanted to keep that memory forever, God threw a moon in the frame just for me.

#SelfCare #Aloneinthecity