Thursday, April 18, 2013

Going Solo

It's hard to believe that I have been living alone for almost six months, and surviving it! People who used to know me back in boarding school and undergrad days will know exactly what I am talking about - how chicken-hearted I used to be when it comes to being alone in the house at any point of time, especially at night. I remember having my own room for the first time when I was in 11th std - I used to start the night at my room only to find myself waking up in mom's room the next day. During my undergrad (Grace Home) days,  I used to go room to room, begging and coercing people to stay overnight with me whenever my roommates were away. Hospitals used to (and still do) creep me out the most as they host so many deaths. I don't know how exactly I've come to reach a stage where I am actually living all alone but I believe it was a gradual process. I think it started the day I gathered all my guts to visit 'Scary House' and face my fear. Since then, I have progressed from staying alone in the house while my roomies were on a night out, to having my own room during post grad days, to living in a semi-independent flat adjacent to my aunty's and finally to where I am today, living independently in a 1BHK flat.

I remember how nervous and doubtful I was when I first made the decision of living alone. Although there are certain perks to it, I was really worried about my safety, where I would run to in case I get scared at night or have a medical emergency. Thankfully, my anxiety got reduced when I found out that there was a Mizo family living downstairs, who by the way have been so awesome. Here's a big shout out to Aunty Nuteii - my new BFF, Siama Sailo and Marley Sailo! :).

The first few weeks, I found myself celebrating my new-found independence which involved having wine and cheese in the company of myself after a hard day's work whilst watching sitcoms back to back. I didn't want to leave the house even on weekends as I immensely enjoyed the quality time spent with myself. Sometimes, I would pile up dirty dishes and throw my clothes everywhere, soaking in the feeling that I didn't have to be concerned about anyone's feeling other than my own. When it came to doing household chores, I was very content with the fact that I didn't have to expect someone to share the workload.

After a month of going solo and loving it, boredom slowly sunk in and I found myself craving the company of people and getting really depressed about being alone, doing everything alone and for myself. As a result, I was exchanging a lot of phone calls with my besties, speaking for hours and hours with them discussing the most random of things.  

Now I am at a stage where I have wholly adapted - living alone has become a normal thing - nothing to be dreaded or celebrated. The weird part though, is that I find myself sharing a peculiar relationship with my flat and the things that I own. It has become extremely difficult for me to stay overnight anywhere else. Even on nights when I am out till late, I make it a point to retreat back to my pad. I missed my bed terribly while I was away in Mumbai for two weeks. Weird huh?!

When it comes to dealing with security concerns, there are certain precautions that I take religiously. Whenever I am out for a long time, I keep the door open as I enter the house and lock it only after looking around and ascertaining that it is intruder free. I barely move out of the bedroom once I secure the door for a safe trip to dreamland and hence make it a point to keep all the essentials with me before getting ready to bed. Also, I keep the door wide open whenever somebody comes to deliver things at my place and I never blindly open the door to whoever knocks. 

I am not sure if I'll continue with my 'solo' stint for long but one thing I can say for sure is that it's a luxury that one must indulge in at least once during single-hood. To make things easier for those of you who have not had the solo experience yet, I am listing out the pros and cons of based on my experience:-

PROS
  • You can walk around naked in the house (Not saying that I do it:)).
  • You only need to buy the stuffs that you like - eg: you no longer have to buy that vegetable you so hate but your roommate loves.
  • You can be really messy/ a cleanliness freak if you want to.
  • You don't have to worry about who does what - division of responsibility.
  • You can bring as many guests whenever you like and switch back to privacy mode when you wish.
  • You dictate the choice of music in the house - what, when, when not.
CONS
  • You don't have a 24/7 agony aunt/ cheerleader and that sucks. Imagine coming home after a bad day or a great day at work with no one to talk to, or after a major shopping spree with noone there to help you justify your case or admire your fresh loot with.
  • You shop, cook, eat and clean for yourself and that gets boring over a period of time. There's no one to compliment your cooking and help out with the dishes.
  • Living alone is expensive.
  • Low level of security.
  • The longer you live alone, it gets more and more difficult to adjust to the thought of living with other people again.
Whatever it is, for now here's a toast to "Going Solo" and independence!



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8 comments:

  1. Realy good post here.. Btw i am also staying alone here and single lol..if you know what i mean :D

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    1. Thanks @Ijassdie:) as for me, I can only say that I live alone

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  2. ;)

    Solo kha ka hrechhuak zawk a..the guy with a long hair.

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  3. I do think I will never be able to live alone! And my nightmare is if I have to stay alone in some hotel room O_O. Nice blog Mimi

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  4. Thank you Karishma! Keep visiting:)

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