Just one.

I've been single for about seven months now. After ending a marriage you learn a lot about yourself. I suppose you could struggle with it, but, for myself, I've learned that when someone throws a hand grenade at you, you can't really fight it off. Just give that thing a big 'ol hug and hang on for the fiery ride.

What does a hand grenade have to do with dinner you ask? Well.... nothing really. It's just a metaphor, and honestly I don't care for that one. It's not one of my better analogies for sure, but hey, it'll do in a pinch. So what happens is, once you're single again you spend a lot of time with friends, you finds ways to fill up your time, to fill up space, to fill in that chunk of you that's missing. But at some point, you're going to be hungry. You are going to be alone. And you'll go out of your head if you stay at home. These three things will invariably converge. So just give that thing a big 'ol hug and go out for dinner.

Now, at first it seems a bit scary, because, nobody is alone, not out in public.

Wait up a second there, you say, that's just a load of crap. Wait up yourself, I say. I've been dining out alone many times recently and what I've noticed is how starkly obvious the contrast is. There will be almost no one alone. Friends, lovers, mates, families, what have you... they are all there. And sure most of the time, I am out with friends, but you know, they get busy, and my life seems to have it's own schedule lately, and I've found it's better to just give in (speaking for myself, this is not advice to you) and go along for the ride. This is no carnival ride. No ride in the country. It's scary. It's horrid. It's fantastic. At times it's the best thing I've felt.

But I ramble on. The point is, there you are. They are many. You are just one.

Like on that Sex in the City episode. It's exactly like that. You get the funniest looks. Trust me though, it makes *them* more uncomfortable than it does you.