Decoding Lifestyle

Occasionally, at a professional hazard of being an architect, few friends and acquaintances solicit our advice before putting up their life savings on an apartment. Perhaps, their dream home or at least for the next decade. After months of weekend city tours, Manisha had shortlisted a 'lifestyle' property. Excited about this sprawling almost township like premise, wowed by the common amenities and walking through shared spaces we ended up at the doorstep of the intended apartment.

No sooner did we enter, and did a quick tour to map it to the plan at hand, the first glaring fact that spoke to me, having known Manisha for so long, and I asked her carefully was, are there any change in plans about her lifestyle that I should know about. Were her children still going to live with her, was she planning to change jobs or have changes in her work life for the new future, or has her on-going therapy concluded or take a different turn? Shaking her head in denial, Manisha looked at me puzzled. Embarrassed, hesitatingly, I told her, the floor plate of the house did not seem to compliment her 'lifestyle'.

Now, generally, if I went out and told this to a stranger, most possibly, I would have offended them, even if unwittingly. For the popular notion is that 'lifestyle' is about affordibility. Why? Ask all the branding specialists serving real estate markets and look at the forest of hoardings lining the city main roads as you drive through everyday.

But Manisha was not offended. She merely asked- how so?

Couple of years ago my Mom had fainting spells which the doctor later diagnosed as the onset of diabetes. Distraught at the option of taking regular medication, my otherwise strong and always-healthy Ma pestered the doctor for a more 'permanent' treatment, a one where you wont have to take pills everyday for the restof your life.Alas, the doctor said, this is a lifestyle disease. You will have to adhere to a regular routine of exercise and strict diet besides the medicines, other wise even medicines can't help you.

Manisha laughed and said, arre haan. Mummy Papa ko diet aur exercise shabd se nafrat hai.(Our parents hate those two particular words -exercise and diet)

Irony, isn't it? But if you think about it, how can you begrudge the hardest working generation, fed on the most organic food, a prescription of food and exercise? Blame the 'Lifestyle' changes, won't you?

Lifestyle in every context means and should continue to mean only the habits and routine that YOU embrace on a day to day basis, for your convenience, personal joy and maximum optimization of YOUR time so that you can live your best life.

And just like that, standing in the middle of one of the most expensive and exquisite, I did not have to explain to her why this apartment did not suit her lifestyle. There is not a one lifestyle fits all.

Unlike what the world is telling you, please believe that everyone has a 'lifestyle'.

Unhindered by affordability blues, judgement, biases, embrace and identify the fact that everyone of US have a lifestyle unique to our personal requirements .

The more conscious and cognizant we are of the fact, the more sensitive we will be towards the space that we occupy and make better decisions-for life and in life.

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