Take yourself out: coffee, a movie, a walk downtown. It’s a date with someone you should know better.

Going out alone feels exposed for about ten minutes and then stops feeling like anything. What is left is you deciding where to sit and how long to stay, with nobody to negotiate with. That is rarer than it sounds, and it shows you preferences you cannot find in a group. You learn what you actually want to do rather than what was easiest to agree on.

Pick one thing this week and go alone. Bring nothing to hide behind for at least part of it. Notice what you choose when the choice is entirely yours.