When new people I meet find out that I live alone in the city I get a lot of raised eyebrows and “are you a sociopath?” kind of expressions. That’s followed by mild questions like – “Isn’t it scary? Don’t you get bored? It’s lonely, isn’t it? How do you manage without room-mates?”
I will admit, there were times when I thought there was no possible way I could live in Mumbai without my family, best friends and comfort that comes with living somewhere for practically your entire life. Turns out, I was wrong. I’m still here, and plan on being here for a while. It’s far from boring. In fact, it’s an adventure that I don’t know where to begin telling you about.
Here are a few of the lessons I’ve learnt:
You’re cleaner than you think – Or messier... works both ways. When my house is a disaster, it becomes apparent that those room-mates I once had weren’t at fault all the time. And when it’s clean, I can take comfort knowing that it will stay that way. Plus, there’s something strangely calming in knowing that the idiot who’s left dishes in the sink again... is me!
Learn to tidy up. Fast! – For two reasons. Your friends will definitely want to hang out at your place since there are no parents around. Secondly, if you work 5-6 days a week, you don’t want to spend your weekend cleaning.
Learn to live with bugs – Gross, right? But every apartment has one at some point or the other. Stomp ‘em, spray ‘em or put a cup over them and wait for reinforcements to arrive. What I do is just never enter that room again for... you know, ever.
You’ll find out if you’re an introvert or an extrovert – While I love being outgoing and social, there are times when I work from home for days, without seeing a soul and felt so refreshed! You’ll find out if you recharge best when you’re alone or if solitude gets you feeling lonely and isolated.
Pants Optional? – You can confidently wear whatever you feel happiest in without fear of awkwardly running into a room-mate or one of their friends. While going ‘sans pants’ can be considered freedom at its finest, that really isn’t my thing. I’m more of an old-tee-I-love-so-much-it-has-holes-in-it kind of person.
You will run out of food – When you’re hungry and live with room-mates, you can just eat their food and replace it later. What a lovely back up plan! Living alone means if you’re out of groceries, you really are out of groceries and the Pizza guy will have to make his second trip of the week to your house... even though it’s only Tuesday.
Speaking of food....
The craziest things will make a meal – A tomato, an egg, a pack of noodles – dinner! I’ve eaten combinations like these and let’s face it – it’s hard to cook for one person! Plus, this system works if you haven’t done the aforementioned grocery shopping.
You talk to yourself – I’ve always known I was a chatterbox, but when you live alone, it’s different. Maybe it’s about making some noise in a quiet house, or maybe I’m just losing my mind (it’s possible). But I’ve found myself wondering aloud on many occasions. And by “found myself” I mean “I’ve been overheard.”
The TV is yours! All yours! - Binge watch Masterchef Australia or slum it with old, sappy re-runs. Who cares? There’s no one to judge or complain.
Double or Triple check security – Ever get out of bed multiple times to see if you actually latched the door? Don’t worry. I do, too!
Friends are a phone call away – There are days when being alone with your thoughts isn’t what you need. You can easily sit home and wait for people to call. But that won’t do. Never underestimate the power of your social circle. Pick up the phone, call someone, text or better yet, go out and meet a friend. If I didn’t have such amazing friends, this part would have been hard.
My place reflects my style – A no-brainer. But those who live alone will understand. To live in a place where everything belongs to me, to see my mismatched collections, trinkets by the TV, scarf thrown over the chair because I like it that way... it pleases me more than I thought possible.
Other random things – Like the hair in the drain is all mine (OMG!) and how do I zip/button up the back of my dress? Let’s not forget the philosophical stuff that occurs, like “if I eat this cheesecake and no one sees it, did I really eat it?”
A couple of nights ago, I was reading an amazing book in bed and shed a teeny tear. I realized how nice it feels to have the privacy to do so – for this time of ruling the roost and making the rules. The truth is, living alone is the farthest from lonely I’ve ever felt :)
I will admit, there were times when I thought there was no possible way I could live in Mumbai without my family, best friends and comfort that comes with living somewhere for practically your entire life. Turns out, I was wrong. I’m still here, and plan on being here for a while. It’s far from boring. In fact, it’s an adventure that I don’t know where to begin telling you about.
Here are a few of the lessons I’ve learnt:
You’re cleaner than you think – Or messier... works both ways. When my house is a disaster, it becomes apparent that those room-mates I once had weren’t at fault all the time. And when it’s clean, I can take comfort knowing that it will stay that way. Plus, there’s something strangely calming in knowing that the idiot who’s left dishes in the sink again... is me!
Learn to tidy up. Fast! – For two reasons. Your friends will definitely want to hang out at your place since there are no parents around. Secondly, if you work 5-6 days a week, you don’t want to spend your weekend cleaning.
Learn to live with bugs – Gross, right? But every apartment has one at some point or the other. Stomp ‘em, spray ‘em or put a cup over them and wait for reinforcements to arrive. What I do is just never enter that room again for... you know, ever.
You’ll find out if you’re an introvert or an extrovert – While I love being outgoing and social, there are times when I work from home for days, without seeing a soul and felt so refreshed! You’ll find out if you recharge best when you’re alone or if solitude gets you feeling lonely and isolated.
Pants Optional? – You can confidently wear whatever you feel happiest in without fear of awkwardly running into a room-mate or one of their friends. While going ‘sans pants’ can be considered freedom at its finest, that really isn’t my thing. I’m more of an old-tee-I-love-so-much-it-has-holes-in-it kind of person.
You will run out of food – When you’re hungry and live with room-mates, you can just eat their food and replace it later. What a lovely back up plan! Living alone means if you’re out of groceries, you really are out of groceries and the Pizza guy will have to make his second trip of the week to your house... even though it’s only Tuesday.
Speaking of food....
The craziest things will make a meal – A tomato, an egg, a pack of noodles – dinner! I’ve eaten combinations like these and let’s face it – it’s hard to cook for one person! Plus, this system works if you haven’t done the aforementioned grocery shopping.
You talk to yourself – I’ve always known I was a chatterbox, but when you live alone, it’s different. Maybe it’s about making some noise in a quiet house, or maybe I’m just losing my mind (it’s possible). But I’ve found myself wondering aloud on many occasions. And by “found myself” I mean “I’ve been overheard.”
The TV is yours! All yours! - Binge watch Masterchef Australia or slum it with old, sappy re-runs. Who cares? There’s no one to judge or complain.
Double or Triple check security – Ever get out of bed multiple times to see if you actually latched the door? Don’t worry. I do, too!
Friends are a phone call away – There are days when being alone with your thoughts isn’t what you need. You can easily sit home and wait for people to call. But that won’t do. Never underestimate the power of your social circle. Pick up the phone, call someone, text or better yet, go out and meet a friend. If I didn’t have such amazing friends, this part would have been hard.
My place reflects my style – A no-brainer. But those who live alone will understand. To live in a place where everything belongs to me, to see my mismatched collections, trinkets by the TV, scarf thrown over the chair because I like it that way... it pleases me more than I thought possible.
Other random things – Like the hair in the drain is all mine (OMG!) and how do I zip/button up the back of my dress? Let’s not forget the philosophical stuff that occurs, like “if I eat this cheesecake and no one sees it, did I really eat it?”
A couple of nights ago, I was reading an amazing book in bed and shed a teeny tear. I realized how nice it feels to have the privacy to do so – for this time of ruling the roost and making the rules. The truth is, living alone is the farthest from lonely I’ve ever felt :)
Can anyone else who's living alone relate? Talk to me! - Comment below and stay in touch on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Cya next time!
