After saving all my money for months and months, it finally was worth it. My new landlord handed me my key to my apartment. “You’re ready to go,” she said. “It’s all yours.” So I inserted the key in the lock and opened the door to my new apartment. To my own apartment. My own space. It was empty and quiet. I began picturing how I will be decorating and all the great memories I would have from this place. Here’s to a new chapter.
Living alone can teach you so much about yourself.
RELATED: How To Be Okay (Like Really Okay) With Being Alone You begin learning more about your likes and dislikes. I started by trying to learn how to cook. All these years I have watched my parents cook, but never really paid attention. If I got hungry at home, I’d make some mac n’ cheese, or a bowl of cereal. And so my mom gave me some recipes, and ideas on what I should make. I wrote down all my ingredients and took myself to the nearest grocery store. When did food become so expensive?! I peaked at how much money I had in my wallet and sighed. Mac n’ cheese for dinner tonight. After lots of practice I was able to cook basic dinners. Chicken with some vegetables, Hamburger Helper and spaghetti was almost an every night meal. I began to learn how much salt to add to my meals and how different seasonings made such a difference in the way the food would come out. I began to learn how long to keep the pasta boiling for, and how quickly food can burn when you aren’t paying attention to it.
When I got my first electric bill, I quickly learned to not take 45-minute hot showers. Or to not leave lights and my television on all day. And to not do a load of laundry every single day.
I began turning my television off throughout the day and diving head first into books and writing. I began going to the gym to get into shape and get out of the house, and I started taking my dog on more walks. RELATED: How To Embrace Living Alone Without Feeling Lonely I learned to write down when I was getting low on shampoo and toilet paper. Because when you are in the shower and have nothing to wash your hair with since you forgot to buy yourself some, it is important to note when you are getting low. Your mom never forgot to get these things for you.
And, I learned that I loved being alone and in my own company.
Although I was lonely sometimes, I loved being in my own space and having my own life and responsibilities. I loved learning new things about myself every day. Like how I loved cooking even though I was terrible at it. Or how I loved sitting on my bed at night when it was quiet and just writing my thoughts for the day. I loved singing my lungs out in the shower. And I really loved decorating my own space around me and hanging pictures on the wall. I loved having something of my own, where I could be my complete self. Living alone was the best thing that could have happened to me. It may seem scary, but you will learn so much and begin to appreciate everything you have.
You will find out that it is okay to be alone, and you do not have to rely on anyone else to make you happy — you can make yourself happy.
RELATED: 17 Signs You’re A Loner (Which Is Actually A Good Thing) Courtney Bond is a writer and former Unwritten contributor who has written articles about lifestyle, family, and mental health. Visit her author profile for more. This article was originally published at Unwritten. Reprinted with permission from the author.
