Why Minnesotans should spend more time alone

Everything I learned about happiness I learned by being alone. I've felt it while stitting alone and eavesdropping on the stark contrast of two different first dates, one between 20-somethings and another between 50-somethings, at a cafe up North. I discovered it while eating alone at a tapas bar in Spain where everyone was obsessed with Ricky Rubio. At a mismatched coffee shop in Minneapolis. At a soup restaurant in Guatemala. At the base of a volcano while taking heavy steps on what I imagined was Mars. These moments — moments of pure aloneness and awareness — are outlined for me in deep, bold lines, preserving themselves forever in fluorescent, glow-in-the-dark ink.

If you're afraid of going out alone, you're not alone. There's still a real stigma attached to going out into the big world of human movers by oneself, despite the fact that there's been a huge demographic shift to a more solo society. In fact, 27 percent of U.S. households consist of only one person, according to the latest U.S. Census figures. In Minnesota, "householders living alone" constitute 28 percent of total households, a leap of nearly 30 percent since 1990.

http://www.startribune.com/molly-priesmeyer-why-minnesotans-should-spend-more-time-alone/305368951/