Blog: Taking myself on a solo date to the Elgar Concert Hall
Written by Student Content Shaper Natalie D'Allura
It’s February, the month of love! I’m sure you’ve already seen your fair share of date ideas, gift ideas, chocolates, flowers, cards, teddy bears, you name it. Everyone has different feelings about Valentine’s Day. Some people love it, some people hate it, some people couldn’t care less. Personally, I prefer a galentine’s wine night with friends, but I’m not here to convince you to feel any particular way about the holiday. What I’m here to convince you of is that, no matter how you decide to spend or avoid Valentine’s Day, you should still prioritize spending a bit of time with yourself this month. One of the best ways to do that is to take yourself on a solo date!
Last month, I posted a blog about my love of the solo date, a solo date being intentional time spent alone doing something which helps you to reconnect with yourself, and I shared my experience of going to the Barber Institute of Fine Arts with just me, myself, and I. This month, I wanted to make time to do something that I haven’t done in years: go to a concert! Luckily for me, the Barber has free Lunchtime Concerts every Friday at Elgar Concert Hall right here on campus.
For an hour, I let Kenneth Hamilton’s piano music wash over me. I closed my eyes and forgot that I was in a theatre full of people. I didn’t expect the dancing images that came to me, but the music painted pictures behind my closed eyelids. Eventually, Hamilton lifted his hands from the piano with a flourish and rested them on his knees, our cue to applaud. We all clapped until he had taken three bows and gifted us an encore. As I left the concert hall, I felt refreshed and more awake than I had all week.
It is perhaps even more important this month, with such a strong cultural emphasis on romantic relationships, to be intentional about spending time alone. It’s all about balance and making sure that, amidst the demands of all our other relationships, we don’t forget to nourish the relationship we have with ourselves. That running list of things you've been wanting to do is actually a running list of solo date ideas! So, choose one of those date ideas (or use one of mine!) and take yourself on a date this month. It may just be the best date you’ve ever been on!