Independance versus loneliness?
Guess who went to the cinema on their own for the first time?
I actually enjoyed it. It was nice not to have to listen to friends who pass the odd comment during the film, it was nice to be on time (ie. in time for the trailers, because I love the trailers), and it was nice to choose the film (the main reason I went alone was that nobody else wanted to see 'My Week With Marilyn' with me).
(Incidentally, 'Marilyn' is excellent. You should all go and see it. I have hardly seen any Marilyn Monroe films, and this makes me want to go and hunt them out. Michelle Williams was absolutely brilliant.)
I remember reading in a book once (and I can't remember for the life of me which book) that the things you thought of as uncool and embarassing when you were young, become cool when you're old - ie. going to the cinema alone, eating out alone, reading books in cafés, etc. I'm sure when I was younger I thought having a day out by yourself was a sign that you had no friends and was therefore something to be slightly ashamed of (and secretly I still feel that way about restaurants - cafés are fine to eat alone in, but for me a restaurant is a social occasion because it's expensive). But I see it now as a sign of independance. And although I like my friends, sometimes it's nice to take a day and just do what I feel like.
At home I know people who are completely dependant on family and friends - one of my best friends at university goes home every weekend without fail and won't even go on a bus journey or to the local shop on her own, which I find a little bizarre, but then I wonder if it comes through your experience of family life - her family is very close knit, they all live nearby, her parents visit her grandparents at least once a week. Whereas my family isn't really like that - my mum's siblings are scattered all over the globe, and my dad now lives in a different country from the rest of his siblings too, and living away for the first time has made me realise I would like to move away once I'm finished at university. It's not that I don't appreciate home or family or friends, it's just that it's nice to live my own way (I even like having my own flat to myself). Thoughts, anyone?
I actually enjoyed it. It was nice not to have to listen to friends who pass the odd comment during the film, it was nice to be on time (ie. in time for the trailers, because I love the trailers), and it was nice to choose the film (the main reason I went alone was that nobody else wanted to see 'My Week With Marilyn' with me).
(Incidentally, 'Marilyn' is excellent. You should all go and see it. I have hardly seen any Marilyn Monroe films, and this makes me want to go and hunt them out. Michelle Williams was absolutely brilliant.)
I remember reading in a book once (and I can't remember for the life of me which book) that the things you thought of as uncool and embarassing when you were young, become cool when you're old - ie. going to the cinema alone, eating out alone, reading books in cafés, etc. I'm sure when I was younger I thought having a day out by yourself was a sign that you had no friends and was therefore something to be slightly ashamed of (and secretly I still feel that way about restaurants - cafés are fine to eat alone in, but for me a restaurant is a social occasion because it's expensive). But I see it now as a sign of independance. And although I like my friends, sometimes it's nice to take a day and just do what I feel like.
At home I know people who are completely dependant on family and friends - one of my best friends at university goes home every weekend without fail and won't even go on a bus journey or to the local shop on her own, which I find a little bizarre, but then I wonder if it comes through your experience of family life - her family is very close knit, they all live nearby, her parents visit her grandparents at least once a week. Whereas my family isn't really like that - my mum's siblings are scattered all over the globe, and my dad now lives in a different country from the rest of his siblings too, and living away for the first time has made me realise I would like to move away once I'm finished at university. It's not that I don't appreciate home or family or friends, it's just that it's nice to live my own way (I even like having my own flat to myself). Thoughts, anyone?