Solo Dining Fears be Damned!

Friday, after my training was over, I drove down to the beach and plopped down in a spot without too much seaweed and dug my toes into the sand. It was surprisingly cool by the beach and the wind never stopped blowing. After my "nap",  I woke up  and realized I knew how sand dunes were formed: the side of my leg facing away from the wind had built up quite an impressive amount of sand carried by the wind. Good thing I had my eyes closed and backpack zipped up! 

I brushed myself off, emptied my pockets of sand and headed back to my car. I decided to eat dinner at True Food Kitchen for dinner and treat myself to a delicious, pricey dinner. 

The decor was nothing less than trendy and modern. It was definitely a Fox Restaurant.  I felt like I should have arrived in stillettos, tight pants and a billowy sparkly top from Express. Oh yeah, and I should have gathered all my ladies. Considering I had none of the above and only a purse from Target (thank you Rebecca) and the third book of the Hunger Games, I happily sat on the patio off to the side. 

Once my primary reading material was taken from me (menu and some spiel about Andy Weil's anti-inflammatory food pyramid), I turned quickly to my book. 

Whenever I see someone eating alone at a restaurant (and it's not a fast food place), I wonder why they would choose to dine solo. What do they think about? What do they look at? Do they eve's drop on people's conversations? Do they try to look interested in the silverware or their reflection in the window? Did they remember to bring a book or piece of paper to write on? Or do they feel connected by fiddling with their cell phone? 

I was afraid of solo dining this past week on travel. I'm not one to worry about what other people think of me so much. Instead, it was the fact that I couldn't enjoy the food I was eating without sharing the experience with someone else. And... where do I look in between bites??  But there I was, soaking up the California sun, sitting alone and enjoying a delicious piece of salmon on a bed of quinoa and beets. 

While the experience made me a bit uncomfortable, I'm glad I chose to treat myself to a delicious dinner even though it meant eating alone. I think it's good to do something every day that makes you a bit uneasy. I don't mean go do something dangerous... Instead choose something today that you wouldn't normally do but you always think about how you wished you had done it once the moment's passed.