Why I Love... Dinner Reading

As of late, about once a week (at least during rec sports season), I get the chance to eat dinner by myself. I usually find myself at a Panera or other fast casual restaurant, where dinner is easy and people leave you alone. I like it. Once a week, I get a chance to read and munch without interruption for about an hour.

I used to hate eating out by myself. It felt awkward and lonely. Then I started to bring reading material with me. It's amazing what an addition of a magazine or book can do. Dinner alone turns into a calming oasis between the stress or busyness of work and whatever event the night holds. On these nights, I get to sink into whatever I'm reading and ignore everything else. I find the background noise to be remarkably calming.

I've started to look forward to these dates with myself. Nights like these are both public and private, it's a nice way to just "be."