Table for One, Please!

Did you know that psychological experts have said that being able to go to a movie alone is an indicator of extreme confidence?  I feel like dining alone follows this same thread.

Being newer to the traveling sales representative scene, facing the prospect of time alone on the road is a new experience for me.  When the workday is through and the appointments have a neat little check next to them, all you have left is an evening of solitude.  I hope every past sales manager I've ever had is reading this.  Why even limit it to that?  I think every person who has ever known me well would all tell you the same thing.  Silence makes me uncomfortable.  I start to throw random phrases out in the air just for the sake of breaking the quiet.  Enter the phrase, "Table for one, please."  It's only logical that eating alone would cause the sweat to bead upon my brow.

I know I'm not the first traveler to experience the novelty of dining à l'une.  But I feel confident that many business travelers have had these thoughts. Sure, I could go grab a sandwich and eat in my hotel, but that's a lonely prospect as well.  Instead, I go through the inner conflict of wanting to get out and enjoy a delicious restaurant while wondering if everyone in the restaurant is looking at me thinking, "Oh that poor, sad, lonely woman eating all by herself."  That may be a bit dramatic, but I can own the fact that I am a bit neurotic (and maybe a teensy bit dramatic too).

A little liquid courage AKA The Summer Peach Mojito from Food Dance in Kalamazoo, Michigan...maybe if I am a little buzzed, no one will notice that I am dining all by my lonesome

Once upon a time, there was a little girl...

And this little girl grew up to be a salesman, just like her Daddy. :)

After five years in pharmaceutical sales, I have officially hung-up my pharma-barbie hat and have moved onto my next sales adventure. This new endeavor requires that I travel throughout the Midwest 50% of the month. When initially faced with this travel challenge, I didn't know if I could handle it. Life on the road gets lonely and I worried that I'd miss all the comforts of home, the furry face of my loyal mutt Indy, and the daily companionship of my husband. In the short time I have been working for my current employer, I have found out that all of the above are true.

On the other hand, I've been given an opportunity to truly explore every corner of the Midwest. So why a blog? Today, while planning for the upcoming months, I was exploring Google Maps. While searching the fine state of Indiana for a specific location, I came across French Lick, IN. And then Santa Claus (on Christmas Lake, no less). Mentally, I made a note that I must stop in these places. I mean, who wouldn't want to see the birthplace of Larry Bird and why not share my adventures as I go along?

So follow me as I travel throughout out the Midwest, where no historical marker will remain unturned, no greasy spoon will be denied, and all of the hidden beauty will be discovered, from Skyscrapers to Soybeans.


"The secret to getting ahead is getting started." - Mark Twain