Adventure and Self-Discovery

I'm generally known amongst people whom I interact with regularly as a person who talks a lot.  A lot.  That would indicate that I like to spend a lot of my time with and around others.  This indication would be accurate.

But, every once in a while, I really enjoy having an adventure all on my own.  It's nice to spend some time with my own thoughts and doing things that I want to do without having to worry about if anyone else is having a good time.

Yesterday was a prime example.

After having been working in Boston suburbs for two weeks with only one chance to go into Boston proper before Saturday, I, naturally, had a huge desire to go into town and do some of the things that I did not have a chance to do previously.  The main thing on that list being exploring the city itself in more detail and getting a look at some of the beautiful parks and even better architecture.  I had been looking forward to having a day in the city for the entire second week of work.  Then, on Friday, it was brought to my attention that there were Red Sox tickets available for the following evening's game, which was, conveniently, the day that many of my teammates were also heading into Boston.

If you came to the conclusion that I indeed bought a ticket to see the Red Sox in Fenway, congratulations: you know me fairly well!  As a result of that, my Saturday was looking like it was going to be a lot of fun!

Long story short, my day lived up to the expectations and then some.

I went to the only Curious George shop in the world and bought three books for my two youngest nephews and my brand new niece (whom I can't wait to meet!).  I went to the Boston Public Library, which was spoken of as an absolutely beautiful entity, and it definitely lived up to that; how many public libraries can you think of that have outdoor courtyards with bronze statue fountains in the outdoor courtyard?  I wouldn't have even thought to think of that before seeing the BPL.  I walked around the city taking in some truly gorgeous scenery: the river reflecting the sunlight; the beautiful stone church built in 1665 with ivy growing up the steeple; the gorgeous park with the heart-warming dedication on a bench; the immense, snow-white swans in the Boston Public Garden; the lovely spot under a tree where I took a quick catnap; that beautiful meeting of green, red and white that only a well-manicured baseball field can provide; and finally, the gigantic karaoke session with a cute little Neil Diamond ditty about a girl named Caroline with thousands of Red Sox fans.

Now, I could go on for hours about how awesome each one of those experiences were (and I have), but those experiences weren't even the best part of my day, as hard as that can be to believe.  No, the best part of that day was that I was alone.

Yes, alone.  It was just such a sheer joy to be among all of these beautiful sites and have the freedom to enjoy them purely on my own terms.  I didn't have to worry about creating conversation with someone if I didn't feel like doing so.  I didn't have to worry about someone else having a good time.  If something was boring me, I needn't try to make my case for moving on to a companion; I could just leave and go to the next metaphorically shiny object.  Most importantly, throughout my adventure, I never felt lonely.  Even when the people sitting around me left part way through the game and I was the only one in my row.  Even when groups of people were having quite loud, lovely conversations and enjoying one another's company to remind me that I was alone.  Nothing fazed me at all.  Why?  Because of one very important thing: I was enough.

I interested myself to the point where I wasn't looking around for someone else to make my day a good one; my own company was awesome enough to keep my enjoyment of the day at a premium.

Now, there was a slight exception to this in that I really do wish that some folks were with me to take in the Red Sox game.  Hell, I spent a good portion of the game sending and reading text messages with others.  However (and here's the kicker), I WANTED them to be there; I did not NEED them to be there.  I had an utterly fantastic time at the game and throughout the day without having anybody I know around me.

Because I love myself.

And that beats crossing off any bucket list item.