I do certain things every day. If there is nobody to share certain activitiy with me, I do it alone. I walk every day, sometime with somebody, sometime by myself. I prefer to be with somebody, but I cannot push them to my speed (except for my husband, he is NOT allowed to object, he has to keep up). I also swim every day. If some of my swim bodies happened to be in a water at the same time, I am happy, if not, I am OK. I avoid other activities, like shopping, I do not like it, only out of greatest nessacitities, otherwise, I will send my husband. I do not have a particular need to be alone, but when my H. is on a business trips, I feels wierd to be in empty house, I would not want that.
I do not see any reason for myself to go out alone or to go on vacation alone, might as well stay at home after work.
I used to do a lot alone, travel the world, attend concerts, cultural events, hike, bike. As I have gotten older, and more fatigued from work, and the online world has become so interesting, CC included, I have less drive to go out, aside from my long solo walks. In general I refuse to let others opinions. guide my actions. Though sometimes I wish I had the gumption to go out and hear live music alone in a bar rather than concert setting, as that would feel awkward. A single friend and I were just commenting on the sometimes awkwardness of attending weddings solo. I really don’t care, but it can be a bit odd.
Years ago, I was alone in Paris for the night prior to returning from a visit to my D. Alone, the city came into view, sharp and beautiful, and realized anew how incredible solo travel can be, especially solo international travel. With a companion, it can be more fun, and I am more comfortable going out at night, but I pay better attention and revel in the surroundings more when alone.
I’ve lived alone since my husband died so do many things alone by necessity. I’m fundamentally an introvert so I’m quite comfortable doing daily activities on my own. I go to movies, lectures, museums, and the theater by myself, although I’d prefer to go with a friend so we could talk about it afterwards. All of my closer friends are married and seem to save most of their non-work time for their husbands.
I travel a fair bit for both work and pleasure, sometimes with family or co-workers, but alone too. I find I’m far less adventurous alone. I’m afraid to do long hikes with no one there if I fall and sprain an ankle or worse. I also am uncomfortable eating alone in nice restaurants. I know no one is judging me, but I end up feeling very self conscious and rush through my meal so it’s not very satisfying. Plus honestly, I can turn the event into a bit of a pity party as I look around and see other people with family and friends to share their night out.
I’ve done group adventure travel with family before, but have seen few singles on the trips I’ve been on. I’m trying to work up to giving it a try though.
@anxiousmom1 so sorry to hear about the loss of your husband. {{ hugs }}
You should try a singles trip, but look at the reviews ahead of time to see if that particular trip attracts people with similar interests, etc.
I don’t know how old you are, but there are likely other widowed or divorced ladies in your community that might make for good new friends for you.
I love to eat alone. I get to spend time thinking about things that I normally wouldn’t. I did eat alone a lot when I was younger so I felt no self consciousness.
I prefer to exercise alone run, walk, bike - will do a class but prefer to veg out and be in my own zone.
Often prefer to shop alone - especially grocery shopping.
Garden alone.
Will go to an art show, art fair, estate sale - those type of things alone and be perfectly happy.
Don’t mind traveling alone (and prefer it) when on business. I like having the free portions of these trips to do at my own leisure.
I don’t like to travel alone since I have no sense of direction. Better to have someone to get lost with!
I don’t mind eating alone but it seems more like just eating for eating’s sake vs leisurely enjoy a meal. A couple of years ago on a trip to Paris, I was at a neighborhood restaurant near my sister’s house. Next to our table was a grey haired gentle lady in her 80s, sitting alone with her champagne and her platter of seafood. You can tell she was savoring every bite and sip, waiters came by, refilled her glass, cajoled with her now and then. My sister said she must be a regular here. I told myself I want to grow old like her, comfortable in my own skin and have a place to frequent where everybody knows my name!
I like going to movies by myself. I like going on walks by myself.
@“Cardinal Fang” ! You’re doing the Great Divide! Wow! That is so cool! please tell us about it when you’re done. And send me a message and I’ll send you my personal email so that I can help you out if you need bike stuff along the way—
Wow, CF, the Great Divide! Amazing. Keep us posted along the way when you get a chance… just to let us know you are safe. Have a great and safe ride!
I do a lot of things with Mr. B, but often we end up like our two cats: sitting near each other but each doing each own’s little thing. I’ve done a number of business trips, and eating out alone does not make me uncomfortable. We mostly travel together, but once I got so mad at Mr. who had to be at a meeting in the middle of our planned vacation that I went to HI alone instead of canceling the trip. Surprisingly, I had a great time exercising, reading on the beach, etc. Then Mr. showed up and we had a few days doing the same thing together. 
The two cats analogy seems applicable what my family as well. While I’m surfing and playing game on my iPad, my husband is watching sports or listen to music performance on TV or DVD.
That’s really awesome, Cardinal.
How long have you been planning it?
Can you really do it by bike?
D wants to do the PCT, and I know that isn’t bike accessible.
Makes me want to watch [Sweetest vehicle for John Belushi, I’ve seen](http://m.imdb.com/title/tt0082200/)
I’d always rather run alone. I find it hard to run, breathe and keep up with a conversation at the same time!
I like to shop alone if I’m shopping for myself.
I prefer to do many things alone. I tend to be a bit introverted, so I’ll eat alone, head to class alone, shop alone, workout alone, and the like. I’ll hang out with people, but if I have a large social event planned that day, I’ll spend the majority of the day alone.
In college, especially freshmen year, students would make posts on the class page about seeing people eat alone in the dining hall. Students would act like seeing an event like that meant the student had no friends or was “struggling” personally. I didn’t understand the hype. If someone wants to be alone, let them be alone!
Come to think of it, eating alone in the dining hall was my time to unwind. Think about it. You wake up next to your roommate, go to class with tens or hundreds of people, just to go to another club meeting full of people, and at the end of the day return to a dorm clustered with people everywhere. My walks and solitary meals definitely gave me the quiet necessary.
@ccreader — I was going to mention Paris as well. I learned the joy of dining solo from watching chic French women dine alone. It’s really very common in Paris. I would prefer to eat with a group of people, but that’s just an entirely different experience from savoring a good meal by myself. I travel alone, go to movies and all sorts of events solo. I’ve had more than one trip where I scheduled both of us to travel but H had a job offer just before we planned to leave. Traveling alone allows for more introspection and honestly the most fulfilling trips I’ve had were the ones where I traveled solo. I frankly LOVE not to worry about whether or not my travel companion is having a good time.
oops wrong thread!
On our last couple of international trips, DH has needed a day to sleep and chill out (or to leave for another country for a meeting!). I have hopped in a car/train and gone exploring on my own. In Ireland, I spent a day in my family’s part of County Tipperary checking out the auld sod and asking questions. Drove over tiny farm roads, got lost a few times, had a marvelous time. DH would die of boredom… Did a couple things in NZ, Netherlands, England and Scotland solo as well. In recent years, DH finds he needs a couple of days on our vacation to relax (but he doesn’t want to go sit at a beach with a pile of books…). OTOH, I am very much of the “we spent $$$ to get here, so I am going to soak up every bit of it I possibly can” mindset. These solo trips are often the highlight of my vacation.
Did a 2.5 week trip to visit a CCer and my family this spring while DH was overseas. Drove 2200 miles, played whatever music I wanted, stopped at quilt shops along the way and did not run on a manic schedule. I’ve been trying to do more solo travel lately. It’s a little crazy given my medical issues, but I don’t want to sit at home and feel stuck.
When DH is overseas and I don’t travel, I relish being home alone. I get so much more done! The house stays clean! I can toss multiple bags per week!
OTOH, I do not like going grocery shopping with DH and S2. I prefer the solo strategic run-in-and-out. They like to wander the aisles and invent recipes as they shop. They generally wind up with shopping duty. 
“I’m leaving in a month to go on a three month bikepacking trip alone. It’ll be just me and the grizzly bears, Canada to the Mexican border along the Great Divide Mountain Bike Trail. I love to ride alone, and I don’t mind camping alone”
Oh wow, @“Cardinal Fang” that is so brave. I would never consider doing that, or even a day hike alone. I would feel too exposed, even if I was packing a weapon. I do things alone constantly, as I am often on a layover and generally prefer to eat/sightsee alone, unless I’m with another woman. But a trip like that alone, on a trail? Yikes, scary. I’m very comfortable with even foreign travel, but just you, the grizzlies and whomever else is around? Be careful!!
@emeraldkity, I’ve been planning the trip for a year and a half. There is a Continental Divide Trail that is, for almost all its length, prohibited to bikes. But Adventure Cycling, a group that maps bike routes, produced a route from Banff, Alberta, Canada, to Antelope Wells, New Mexico, mostly on dirt roads and trails. It goes through the Rockies and crosses the Continental Divide something like 32 times. My highest pass will be Indiana Pass at 11,910 feet, but there are several other passes over 10,000 feet. And much, much climbing.
This is a video of what I’ll be doing and seeing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqCYE-Smqf4
This is the only time I’ve ever embarked on a long bike trip without being sure I could do it. We’ll see. You might be hearing from me in mid-July, back on CC with my tail between my legs.
When I was in my teens and twenties, before I got married, I used to do things alone frequently, and I didn’t mind it at all – everything from going to restaurants, movies, and museums, to taking long walks, to foreign travel. Although I did all of those things with friends often enough, too. But I got out of the habit of doing things by myself over the next 20+ years: from the time I got married until my son went away to college, I became so used to doing things with my ex, with my ex and son, and then, after the marriage ended, just with my son, that I almost never did anything alone. The only times I would eat out alone were when I was on an out-of-town trip for work; when I worked late I preferred simply to eat something at my desk.
And since my son went off to college almost seven years ago, I haven’t been able to bring myself to start doing things alone again – I’ve certainly never gone away on a vacation alone; I think I’ve seen perhaps one movie by myself; I’ve never been to a museum alone. I eat out very rarely, and only at coffee shops (the Manhattan equivalent of a diner). I still do things with my son when I see him, of course, and I’ll get together with friends maybe a couple of times each month, but I’ve ended up spending most of my time in my apartment. Sometimes I won’t go outside for days on end. Especially for the last eleven months, during which time I’ve been unemployed. I know it’s a bad habit (and has a lot to do with being depressed), but sometimes going out by myself seems like too much of an effort, and somewhat pointless.