Finding Inspiration

“You WERE a writer. I was so proud of you when we first met. I used to brag about your blog to everyone. But offlate you haven’t given me anything to be proud about”; said my annoyed husband accusingly.

“I can’t seem to find any inspiration, I always had so many reasons to write about in the past but my brain has become so rusty now. My creativity is dead. I can only think from a very corporate point of view. All my writing now aims at brand reputation, image management & crisis communication”; I retorted.

“Save it. Don’t give me this sad little story. No one has time. You make time for your art. Look at me, do you think I have time to play in 2 bands with my crazy job?!”

He got me there. He did have a crazy job. I barely see him Monday through Friday & his two best friends on the weekends are the bed & the pillow.

When I came to Mumbai 8 years ago I came as a little girl with a dream in her heart & a burning hope to become the next big thing in the world of print journalism. Mumbai’s crazy rentals & the hellish train ride from Powai to Dadar everyday nipped out those dreams in a jiffy. I went running back to mom & dad after all of 3 months. I was not happy that I gave up. I was more confused than ever.

I stumbled in darkness for a few months more till mom rapped me on the head, gave me a reality check & shoved me back into college again to pursue my higher studies. She pushed me into Public Relations. I hated being a student again, I hated the course & I hated all the childish rules & regulations that were suddenly imposed on me by a six decade old system.

As luck would have it, I found myself working for one of the largest PR agencies in the country in my lovely Chennai the minute I passed out of college. I didn’t have to move out of home & I finally found my happy place within the PR industry.

After close to 2 years into the job it was time to pack up & leave home once again & this time for good :’( It was time to get married.

Mumbai post marriage seemed like a completely different city to me. It suddenly seemed less cruel. I was thrown into a world of bright possibilities – personally & professionally. So many places to eat at, shop at, sight see & most importantly - so many companies to apply to. Along with all this came the loneliness, I had to deal with the reality of a perennially travelling husband without the sheltering of my parents.

The first year was tough, I was always homesick & I wondered whether moving to Mumbai was the right thing for me to do. But I was no longer a single carefree girl, I had to think about another person before making any life decisions.  I eventually made my peace with this. I had to. If mom had the same thought process 38 years ago, I wouldn’t even be here!

I’ve learnt to set up a home from scratch, I’ve learnt to deal with aggressive cooking & cleaning maids, nosey watchman, greedy society treasurers &  bullying autorickshaw-wallahs! All in a day’s work – Hehe!

Doesn’t matter what job you do or which city you live in. A supportive family is all you need to survive the day, month & year.

Well, there you have it.. another blog post by yours truly after more than two years. Thank you hubby dearest for the much needed kick up my backside.