Dining Alone - Have You Tried This Peaceful Experience?

Most people enjoy going out for a quick sandwich or a dinner meal. Especially if you are the one always responsible for planning, fixing, and cleaning up the meals, you would love to have a chance to be waited on. Sometimes you will be with a friend or family member when you are dining out. But the very thought of dining alone, is that something you might want to try?

Most times, folks will shy away from dining solo. Alot of the common reasons are, no one to talk to, they would feel strange sitting by themselves, and heaven sakes, what would other people think?

If you think about it for a minute, you may have inadvertently already done this and you could of been with a spouse or friend. To explain, this means you were with someone and yet, you both were sitting at the same table and no one was talking. How much fun is that? Yes, you are not alone, but it's not very satisfying either.

Take notice of the room the next time you are dining at your favorite restaurant. You will see couples sitting together who are acting like strangers. As you continue to scan the room, you may also see a young couple with several small children who are trying to stay occupied and in their seats without disrupting the entire place. Believe me when I say these folks are sometimes not having an enjoyable dining experience.

There are many ways to ease yourself into the solo ding experience.

1. Start with a quick cup of coffee at your neighborhood restaurant. Maybe strike up a friendly conversation with the waitress. After you do this a few times. you may find they are greeting you by name and consider you one of the regulars.

2. The next tip is to take the novel or magazine you have been trying to get to and find a cozy corner seat. Order your coffee or sandwich and get yourself absorbed into reading.

3. Are you a writer? Look around for interesting story ideas. Listen to the banter between the locals.

4. Make that phone call to your friend that you haven't seen for awhile. Be courteous with your phone usage and keep the volume down.

5. Don't be so concerned with what people think. This will be hard in the beginning, but after awhile, you will realize it's actually a nice thing to be in your own company. It is nice to not have anyone making any demands on you or your time.

FYI--This article was peacefully written on a quiet Sunday morning, at a family restaurant at a table for one, and I survived!!