romantic dinner for one.

by hayley stockall

 

I’d like to propose something that everyone should do: date yourself. 

Regardless of whether you’re single or not, date yourself. Wear a new dress, apply some mascara and settle in to see a movie where you won’t have to share the popcorn.

It can be a little daunting the first time. You might feel like you need company to enjoy a movie, or to dine at a restaurant, or to marvel at an art exhibition. And it is nice to have someone to laugh alongside, or to steal potato chips from their plate. But, sometimes it’s nice to just enjoy your own company.   

coup de foudre.

by hayley stockall

“You have no idea how boring everything was before I met you.”

Sometimes a film will capture a thought, or an experience, or a feeling that you’ve always kept inside of you and considered a vital piece in the compilation of this person that you’re supposed to be.

I enjoyed An Education (dir. Lorne Scherfig, 2009). It was a pleasant and entertaining film full of charismatic actors and a jovial, British humour. What’s not to love about that?

Yet there was something more to it that captivated me, and has thrust me straight into my small hole of despair, loneliness and restlessness, that I tend to try to avoid on nights like these. Nights when the rain is falling ever so nicely yet the names in my contacts list begin to mean nothing.

the break up, but not break down.

by hayley stockall

You feel it coming, even if perhaps you can’t acknowledge what it is yet.

Something is out of place. Something makes you feel heavy in the heart, where you once felt nothing but lightness. Something that was there yesterday is gone. Is it time to feel paranoid yet? You think not.

A few days later, a few weeks later, a few months later – can you even remember the time? It all felt so unmeasured back then. A morning was simply waking up to another warm body in bed.