The day she turned eighteen, off she rode…right into the Mumbai sunset-a dreamy-eyed eighteen-year-old and a twenty-five-year-old all set to build an idyllic life in the City of Dreams.

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Getting used to her minuscule pad and settling into matrimony soon lost its sheen. Financial constraints, friends who moved on in life and parents who did not reconcile to her choices drove home the point that sometimes one needs more than love and fresh air! The struggle continued for a few years and they were blessed with a cherubic boy – however, her life and confidence hit an all time low when she realised that she could not afford to send him to the kind of pre-school that she would have wanted to. With no support from either family, she realised that she needed to take stock of the situation herself.

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And that low was actually the beginning of what an ideal marriage is and should be.

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She enrolled into a reputed institute for an Early Childhood Education degree, started working at an international school and went onto to complete a masters in the same field from one of the most reputed institute in the US. Meanwhile her Prince Charming put in his heart and soul into building a career in the corporate world.

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Over a hot cup of coffee, Karen shared the secret of their successful marriage – “Twenty-two years down the line, what has kept us going has been our friendship and laughter. The secret to overcoming the initial hardships was to not let go and constantly remind myself of what brought

us together and to understand that the best of relationships need to be worked upon. Finding joy in our daily moments of intimacy and making

the most of whatever we could afford in our early days was not easy for me -where my friends would plan shopping trips, I’d make excuses ; not being able to join in for casual lunches or be a part of the gang did take a toll on our relationship initially , but the fact that my husband was working at building a secure future for us and showered me with whatever he could afford meant much more than any designer gift that we can easily afford today . The Mumbai monsoon bike rides on Marine Drive had a racy edge that our fancy car cannot compete with.

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So, if someone were to ask me what the secret to a successful marriage is, I’d gladly tell them KEEP HOLDING ON…. keep reminding yourself of what truly counts for you and understand that there are no free lunches -working and earning a living are as important as working towards making each other feel special. Life is all about moments and memories and its all worth it at the end of  it all .”