There is a moment when the noise fades.
Tonight I sat alone in a restaurant. A small wooden table, a glass of water, and a beer waiting beside it. The knife and fork were neatly placed on a folded napkin, ready for food that had not yet arrived.
Around me people were talking, laughing, moving from table to table. The restaurant was alive with conversation. But at my table there was only silence. I asked myself :
Is eating alone loneliness, or is it freedom?
In the past I might have felt uncomfortable sitting like this. The mind starts wondering what others might think.
Why is he alone? Is he waiting for someone?
But tonight it felt different instead of feeling empty, the quiet felt spacious. I could observe everything—the light reflecting in the glass, the sound of plates in the kitchen, the rhythm of conversations around me.
And you realize you are not waiting for anyone.
Sometimes being alone in a public place reminds you that your life does not always have to be filled with noise. It can simply be experienced. Maybe loneliness is not about being alone. Maybe loneliness is about being disconnected from yourself. Tonight, sitting at this table, waiting for my food, I felt something else. Not loneliness. Just presence.
Some moments don’t need company. They need awareness.
This reflection will become part of the Lida Craft collection.