OPINION: My own best friend

People will often talk about not being able to go to certain places or events as they have no one to go with. Maybe you want to attend a concert but all your friends have to work. However, all hope is not lost.

There’s one person in your life who will always have the same interests as you, one person who will always have the same days off as you, one person who has to hang out with you, no matter what. That’s you.

I’ve talked extensively about solo-traveling in the past, but hanging out with yourself doesn’t have to always be a big event. I first started getting comfortable doing things on my own when I went abroad. I decided since I spent all that money to get to Europe in the first place, I was going to see the places I wanted see. Sometimes my interests aligned with other people, and we went together. However, I often had to go on my own. This has made me more comfortable going places on my own in my regular life as well.

At the end of September, I went to the Van Meter Visitor Festival. While there’s a small room with a variety of cryptid vendors, the main attraction of the festival are the speakers. A cryptid is an animal that is claimed to exist but has never been proven, such as Bigfood or the Loch Ness Monster. If I had waited to find someone in my life who wanted to go with me, I would have waited a long time.

While I certainly have friends that are into cryptids, they all live back in Wisconsin. Therefore, I drove to the festival alone and listened to presentations such as “The Evolution of Lore: The Ever Evolving Face of Cryptids” and “Patterns in the Unexplained.” While many others might have found the day boring or strange, I enjoyed myself and was glad I went.

Today, I’ll be driving to Kansas City to see two Youtubers I’ve loved since grade school perform live. While I’ve seen them live in the past, this will be the first time I’ve attended on my own. Like the cryptids, the friends I have that would go with me are all in Wisconsin. Despite the amount of things I’ve done on my own before, this is one of the few things that I’m still nervous about.

For those curious, the pair I’m seeing are Dan Howell and Phil Lester. Yes, I never gave up on them. The thing about their community is, it doesn’t take much to get involved with each other. While I don’t know anyone going, I have no doubt I’ll have fun. We’re all introverts, but we’ll all be excited to be there.

While I always encourage people to get out there and do stuff on their own, I totally acknowledge how scary it can be. I feel like this is especially true in smaller towns like Creston. While not everyone may feel this way, my fellow introverts will understand the wonderful feel of anonymity that larger towns bring. It can be a lot easier to enjoy a table for one at a new restaurant in a city where no one knows who you are, versus a small town where everyone is wondering why you’re sitting alone.

Along the same vein, sometimes you’re all peopled out and the goal is to enjoy some alone time. I’ve found that sometimes, even when I want to be somewhere on my own, people here will feel bad and leave their table or people to come sit with me or invite me over. While I don’t want to hurt their feelings by declining, the forced interaction can sometimes be a worse alternative.

While tonight’s event has me a little nervous, I’m very comfortable making memories on my own. If the idea of this type of thing scares you, I encourage you to try a small self-date. Start with something easy like a movie theater, where it gets dark quickly and no one can tell you’re alone. A sit down cafe or coffee shop is another good start, as plenty of people will work from there on their own as well.

You shouldn’t miss out on experiences you want to do because you have to go alone. Live your best life and do the things you want, even if you have to be your own best friend during it.