Boyfriends, book-clubs and brunches

I’m pretty busy these days – work, yoga, freelance writing and more. But I might be about to get busier. When you’re single (fairly recently single) the temptation is to fill up the time with hobbies and social activities. And why not. This is exactly what I’ve been doing, yet I still feel like something’s missing. Uh, a partner? Well, maybe not – at least not for now. What’s dawned on me these past few days is that aside from all the other stuff (affection, shared plans, etc) having a partner usually involves being part of some sort of community, a group of friends perhaps, of which you, as a pair, form a part, but also a close-knit community of 2, and much of that can disintegrate when you part ways. Of course I have my ‘community’, I have great friends, and a loving albeit expatriated family. But when you’re in a relationship with someone, it’s more than that, you have routines and habits. For example, I know I’m likely to see my friends quite a lot this next month, but I’m not sure when or how this will happen due to our various commitments. Whereas when you have a significant other you usually know; ‘Wednesdays we stay in and see a film’, or, ‘we like to lie in on Sundays and go for a late breakfast in xxx’. It’s not that I’m craving a life of dull routine... far from it, but I miss some of that sense of shared short term plans. Anyway, the other night when we were having a (delicious, delicious) curry in Moharaj in Lavapiés the lovely owner told us that on certain days of the week there was a 50% discount – and my friend Kate said ‘well, why not make it a monthly thing...?’ And it got me thinking, that’s what I’m missing – so why not a monthly movie night (my friends Carlos and Justo are huuuge movie buffs and always trying to get me to watch films with them), or what about a book club? Or a weekend pot luck lunch or brunch thing, hosted in a different house every month? Food for thought.

P.s. If anyone is interested in eating at Moharaj, they don’t have a website but they can be found on C/Buenavista Nº 42. The nearest metro stations are Lavapiés and Antón Martín. It’s not fancy but it’s by far the best balti in the barrio and is better than their sister branch on C/Ave Maria. :-)