[trynewideas]

There's so much more to it than embarrassment when grief is involved.

For me it felt pathetic because their absence overshadowed absolutely everything else, making it all feel wasted, from the effort to get out of the house to the order to eating to returning home.

It didn't matter if the restaurant or bar was full or empty, what others thought about me never crossed my mind, because all I could think about was the empty seat across from me, the empty stool next to me. Why bother when I can feel like that at home?

[LiquidInsect]

That's it, right there. It's less about what I imagine people around me are thinking and more about that inner critic. It's a hard thing to silence.

[tetraca]

> Why bother when I can feel like that at home?

Well, the food is better, mostly.