Learn to Date Yourself!

It all started when my principal said; “Ms. Lockridge, on this Thanksgiving Break you should go to 3 different places so you can get to know Denver better.” I gracefully accepted the challenge. I’ve recently moved to Denver, CO but haven’t truly explored the city. I pretty much mastered my route to work, church, Target, and the mall. Other than that, my GPS is always on to get me to an unfamiliar destination.
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I made my list of places and restaurants I wanted to visit. While doing this, I recognized that there was actually another purpose of this “assignment”. I was reminded how important it is to date yourself in singlehood. I often take myself on dates but there was  another level of dating I had to pursue. What do I mean? Well, let me share. I went to places that you would typically see couples and or families. It’s easy for me to take myself to dinner and pull out a book, it’s second nature for me to run to the mall and grab something real quick. But there was another level of dating myself that I had not achieved. So, after picked my top 3 places I wanted to visit, my week of dates began.

My first date was the Denver Botanical Gardens. What a beautiful place! I took a moment to sit on a bench to just reflect and rest. The gift shop had the best scented candles I’ve ever smelled so of course, I bought one.

On my second date, I went to Denver Aquarium. I found myself taking family pictures for parents who had to juggle multiple kids while desperately wanting an entire family photo. I thought a lot about how God prepared the fish for Jonah when I walked past the sharks.

My last date was at IKEA. Surprisingly, I resisted purchasing many items that caught my eye. While walking through the maze of couches and love seats, one child appeared to be lost and I helped him find his family that was nearby.

On each of my dates I saw various couples holding hands, laughing, kissing and gazing into one another’s eyes. I saw parents holding their children, giving them tissues when they had a runny nose. I even saw grandparents chasing their grandchildren attempting to intervene situations that could lead to injuries. On each date, there was at least one time where I felt a little awkward because I was alone. I even had one person ask me if I actually worked at the aquarium because I was alone LOL… That kind of threw me for a loop!! But all in all, I can say that at the end of that week I left proud of myself for taking myself on dates that I wouldn’t normally go.

So ladies, don’t wait for someone to take you out! Take yourself out and enjoy you!
I challenge you to take yourself out on a date once a month!
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Love,
Leading Lady Lockridge