Sometimes we need our own space. We are all very unique and have different interests and pastimes. Often in friendships, relationships, marriages etc. we compromise on our interests and adopt a mixed bag of shared pursuits. In the process we might let go of something that we uniquely love doing. I spoke to a woman lately who has a passionate love of opera but has never graced a show since she got married. He absolutely hates opera, she said. There was another woman a few years ago who told me about her passion for movies. However, when I asked her when she was at the cinema last, she pondered loudly – ‘What age is our Suzanne?”. It seems that having a daughter prevented her from staying in touch with the movies scene. We are all a bit like that and we need to watch out for it. It is very easy to convince ourselves that we have no fun in our lives when it’s really ourselves that eradicate it all! Of course friends and couples should do things together but sometimes relationships can be even better informed when we make some space for ourselves.
Yesterday, I travelled to Galway. I treated myself to a trio of Tom Murphy plays at the Town Hall theatre. It started at 1.30 pm and with a few breaks in between the final show ended at 10.30 pm. It was an artistic retreat. I was unable to find someone within my circle of friends and family who would accompany me for a marathon Sunday of theatre. So I escaped on my own. Better on my own than missing it altogether! And it was a little space for myself! We all need that now and again!
The highlight of the day was when I checked in on a friend and musician – Paul. I knew that he was living in Galway and wondered whether it would be possible to meet him for coffee or beer. He met me at the theatre and brought me to his place for a absolutely fabulous meal. His partner, ‘Olive’ is a professional chef and Korean food is one of her specialities. Being a native of South Korean and an exceptionally competent chef meant that the food was ‘five star’. Five star theatre and five star food. This day of ‘space’ for myself was proving to be a lot more worthwhile than I had planned!! Lovely couple and great company. Delighted with my visit to Galway. Great to get home all the same and I had so much news to tell. Sometimes we need a little space to ourselves! It certainly did me no harm!
About the photo : This isn’t the meal that I had. But it is the table that I had it on and a sample of the culinary skills of ‘Olive’!