Three is clearly company

Carrie Bradshaw said in one of the episodes of Sex and the City (yes, the obsession continues!) that almost every woman, and many times every man, in New York City is always looking for one, two or all three of the following – the perfect apartment, the perfect job and the perfect love. While this must be true for the Big Apple, during a conversation with my friend, she and I came to the conclusion that this, in fact, is a remarkably fitting and accurate observation for anyone living in any big city in the world. For me, that big city is Bombay.

Why is it so difficult to find all three at the same time? Is this God’s insistence or rather obstinacy on not giving us the perfect life, given that there are so many underprivileged people out there in the world? Well, whose fault is that anyway!

Think about it – any one of these three elements is incomplete without the other two, difficult to enjoy and appreciate. If you have the perfect apartment but not the job, you wonder where next month’s rent will come from. And if you live in Bombay, that is a big concern, literally. If you have the apartment and the job, you still have to come home to an empty apartment every night. You may have roommates but never underestimate the power of the cuddle.

If you have the perfect job, but not the apartment, you’ll soon have to give up the job, pack your bags and go home. If you have the perfect job and the love of your life by your side, where will you guys… you know? And if you have none of the three, well, frankly, then you’re screwed.

It is a never-ending, stressful, all-consuming conundrum. That I seem to be in every few years, at best. I have finally returned to my calling and working at a job I love with all the passion I have in me – writing, editing, seeing projects complete from end-to-end – my dream come true. It took me some time and aimless wandering to realise that this indeed is my dream, but hey, at least I’m here.

I’ll spare you the mess of the matters of my heart. Really.

And now, after years of being in Bombay, I finally did find the perfect apartment in Bombay, if such a thing even exists. It’s small but cosy and absolutely perfect to me. But for all practical purposes, I’m going to have to give it up soon. Baggage dictates that this is almost as painful as the break-up itself.

So here I am, back on my search – this time for the perfect apartment and, well, perfect love that I already know.