To be or not to be a Single

We have formed a "Singles Club"...and its members are 2 of my roomies and me. Obviously, the sole criteria for being a member of this club is not having any boyfriend or even a crush( sounds very stringent ?).

* Sigh! *

And we lead a very miserable and tragic life...the misery being watching the lovebirds tweeting sweetly and flying around together in bliss, oblivious of the world where lonely creatures like us dwell and the tragedy being the fact that our romance ends with the romantic stories that we read or movies that we watch or the songs that we hear/sing or even for that matter those rarest of the rare dreams that we have once in a bluemoon.

We are left to wait for our Prince Charming, who will come on a white horse, draped fully in a white dress with only his eyes uncovered...and we are here waiting eternally with nothing visible to our eyes but thick, white fog. Of course, it is impractical even to wait for him in today's world of traffic jams. Who knows, may be his horse broke down due to suffocation caused by pollution or he and his horse were covered with black vehicle smoke which led to his fear of not being accepted as the charming one.

Once, when I said that I had written down those lines which made me think about life, in Paulo Coelho's "The Alchemist", AC was shocked and commented,"Deepa! You seriously need a boyfriend! Get a life,girl!".

Sometimes, I feel that having a boyfriend has become a status symbol. If you don't have one, you are looked down upon as a loser and are not good or worthy enough to deserve the love of another person.Sounds so stupid!

For us, the word "boyfriend" has become nothing but a big fat joke. If we want to leave early from work, we are asked " Oh! So you are going out with your boyfriend?". Or if we come late back home from work, this question pops up "You are so late today .Where did you go out with your boyfriend?".

We find ourselves so romantic that we give bright ideas which change people's( Romeo's or Juliet's) life. I have even named my heart-shaped pendant watch( the dial is the pendant of a long chain) which has the design of two flames and another small heart as "Do badan, Ek Jaan", which in English means ' Two bodies, One Soul'.

At times I feel that life would be as beautiful as a Spring morning if there was someone to talk sweet nothings, to have small fights or quarrels and then later make up with him with a cute little sorry, to give gifts on a Valentine's day, to hear him say" I love you" for the umpteenth time and each time those three words sound very new and give you the same thrill as it did for the first time...too good to be true? Yes!

Coming back to reality,I strongly feel that there is nothing more peaceful than being a single. You stay more focussed in life without unnecessary tensions. And for a daydreamer like me, a small distraction lays a firm,earthquake-proof foundation of a huge castle.

There are so many things I want to do in my life that there's no time for things like "boyfriend" or love. I have to build my career and/or pave my way for higher studies and finally settle into a job that I love.

I am reminded of Robert Frost's famous poem "Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening"...

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.