Ask Pappy #10: Some folks need company to feel full, others just need a good seat, a dark room, and a story worth remembering.

Reader Letter:

I like going to the movies by myself. Always have. Friends act like it’s sad, but I honestly enjoy it. Am I the weird one here, or do they just not get it? — Kendra M.

Strange? Kid, that makes you are enlightened.

There’s no purer act of love for movies than buying one ticket, sitting in the dark, and letting the world disappear without anyone whisperin’, “Who’s that actor again?” halfway through the scene.

I’ve been watching movies alone since before popcorn came in buckets. Folks used to look at me funny too — a grown man in an empty matinee with his own bag of licorice and opinions. But lemme tell you, some of my happiest memories were in those half-lit rooms, laughing with no one and crying with everyone.

See, when you go to the movies alone, you’re not lonely. You’re in communion. It’s just you, the story, and the flicker on the wall. That’s church for people who believe in stories more than sermons. People think companionship makes the show better. But I’ve seen plenty of couples spend two hours arguing over the popcorn ratio while missing the entire third act. Meanwhile, the solo crowd — we’re out here living inside the frame.

And when the lights come up, you get that little secret smile — the one that says, “That one was mine.” Nobody else’s take to ruin it. Nobody else’s phone to light up the aisle. Just you and the movie, both a little changed.

So no, kid. You’re not strange. You’re what I call a true believer.

The world moves too fast, but the theater still slows it down. You found peace where others find awkwardness. That’s something to be proud of.

Stay kind, stay curious, and don’t spill the butter on your way out.— Pappy Hull, The Popcorn Philosopher