A Party of One Ticket for One

This is a love letter to myself.

When I was younger, I often wanted to go to the movies, but no one would come with me. I was young, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. So I started going alone. I saw everything. I remember seeing The Bodyguard twice by myself, and I loved it so much I didn’t care that I was the only one in my row who knew all the words to “I Will Always Love You” under my breath.

Then life happened. Movies became animated. Making sure everyone used the bathroom before the movie started. Making sure the kiddos had their snack boxes. Well, you get the gist. And with all that, I grew up right along with my kids.

Fast forward to the present: one is in college, and the other is in high school, and neither one wants to hang with Mom. Oh, and hubby doesn’t like witchy movies.

So what is this woman supposed to do?

Wait for it to come out on a streaming service?

I think not.

I bought a ticket and went by myself. It felt so freeing, just like it did when I was younger, before having kids.

I want to tell you something funny. The second I sat down in that theater, that young girl from back in the day was right there with me. She never left. I just hadn’t visited her in a while.

I went a little early so I could window shop in some of the stores nearby. Then, as showtime got closer, I treated myself. I got a special Practical Magic 2 cup, got my popcorn, and found my seat. And I enjoyed that movie completely, no negotiating what to watch, no whispered “what’s happening.” Just me and the screen. I saw Practical Magic 2.

I fell in love with the original Practical Magic when it first came out, and this time around, I realized I was watching it as Sally. Not the girl watching from the outside anymore. Sally, grown and all, all the way through. It felt like a full-circle moment, sitting there as my own kids build their lives in college and high school.

Here’s what I keep coming back to. Your happiness can’t live entirely in other people’s hands. You have to find your own happiness and let it fulfill you. Everybody has their own opinions, their own taste in movies, and you’re allowed to buy a ticket for one and enjoy every minute of it.