They should be a thing.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who does the "I'm here - where are you?" text when I'm meeting up with people. Except when I say "where are you?", I expect a specific answer. Like, draw me a map to your table in the restaurant, or give me the coordinates of your parking space and I'll meet you there, specific. I've just never done well on my own.
This summer, I set out on a mission to change that. My work schedule is definitely not Monday - Friday, 9-5; so it can be hard to coordinate plans with friends. And my days off are so precious that I didn't want to waste them just because no one's schedule matched up with mine. So, I came up with "Solo Dates". (Ok, I didnt come up with it. I'm sure it's been around for a while... but it's new to me.)
I started close to home, with a trip down the road to a local park/beach. My usual worries crossed my mind - what if I get lost? What if I get bored? Will all the families and happy couples and groups of friends stare and judge me for being alone? But I squashed those worries and did it anyway. And it was FANTASTIC. I wasn't in a rush to get there, because I wasn't working around anyone else's schedule. I chose my spot on the beach without the "where should we sit?" "I don't know, I like being close to the water" "Oooh, really? I wanted to be back further..." debate. I brought music and a book. I took a nap. I dipped my feet in the water, didn't have to worry about entertaining anyone, and left when I wanted to. It was awesome.
I did a few more trips like that this summer. There were so many great things about them. Blasting whatever music you wanted in the car (and singing along at the top of your lungs). Not worrying about making stupid mistakes, because there's no one around to make fun of you (at least, no one you know). Getting lost isn't as stressful, because you're operating on your own schedule instead of trying to be somewhere at a specific time. If you change your mind about what kind of day you want to have, you're not going to let anyone down.
I've tried small "solo dates" as well. Once every week or so, I splurge on a treat just for me. (I'm on a tight budget, so a "splurge" these days means a trip to the grocery store for some good cheese, or a fancy cupcake.) Throw on some comfy PJs, fire up the Netflix, and you have the ingredients for a great solo date.
Now, I am not saying that these should replace real dates, or social interaction in general. But they are a great mood-booster. And it's pretty nice being able to answer the "what have you been up to?" question with something other than work b.s, or a story where you name-drop your significant-other every 5 seconds. Having "solo dates" to talk about prevents you from sounding like a work-a-holic, or one of those girls who can't function without their boyfriend.
So, if solo dates aren't a thing, you should definitely make them a thing. Treat yo self. You won't regret it.
