""Hi." The 20-something man approached my table, the corner of his mouth curving up. He looked away and rubbed his chin before making eye contact and telling me: "I just wanted you to know that if you'd come in sooner, my girlfriend and I would've invited you to join us." I smiled at him. It was nice of him to want to create community with me, although I was perfectly happy just as I was. But he wasn't quite finished."
"Maybe it's just a checklist inherited from my parents' "Silent Generation," but I've found that society still measures worth, success,, and happiness in terms of wedding bands and strollers. I've lived much of my adult life believing in those metrics, so choosing to be single has been challenging. It doesn't just mean dealing with the judgment from others - it also means hearing my inner demons repeat those verdicts: You're less successful, damaged goods, a failure."
"As I sat there alone, I told myself it was this guy's issue, not mine. But the all-too-familiar whispers were getting louder as I looked around the restaurant, a spot my elderly B&B hosts had recommended, their wrinkled eyes twinkling: "The food is great. You'll love how intimate it is." They were right. I loved the place as soon as I walked through its weathered wooden door. "Table for one," I said, smiling at the hostess. She smiled back warmly as she welcomed me."
A young man approaches a solitary diner and tells her she looks lonely, offering that he and his girlfriend would have invited her to join them. The remark triggers defensive responses and familiar internalized voices that equate singlehood with failure. Societal metrics of success are described as centered on marriage and parenthood, creating external judgment and private shame. The narrator recalls a welcoming small restaurant recommended by elderly hosts and experiences both warmth from the staff and the sting of the young man's comment. Choosing to be single emerges as a deliberate, challenging path that resists cultural expectations.
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