YET ANOTHER BIRTHDAY!

My latest birhday

It's my birthday and I am surely going to have a lovely day. I am waiting for the phone to ring, it will ring without fail. My grand children and children will be vying with each other to wish me! It gives me so much pleasure  to hear them wish me. My mother, my husband and my brothers and my sisters in law from both sides will wish me. Yes, indeed it is wonderful to be wished for another year.

The day one is born is a wonderful day. That is the day one sees the world for the first time. Our journey on earth begins with eyes wide open. Every year the anniversary of that date becomes an important day of our life.

After being born we begin learning by the inculcation of knowledge, the language for communication, the myriad relationships, the difference of mine and yours. The concept of sharing, the theory of belonging, the problem of possessions.

One learns and grows. Through different stages of life we all learn different values. We learn manners, mannerisms and the love for lucre. 

"Go forth and grow" becomes our motto as time passes. First in height then in girth and then in stature. We go forth and multiply. We contribute to the future generations.

For me, my first important birthday was my 16th, then the 21st when I was in Bangalore and my father wrote a beautiful letter to me, wishing me. After that time flew and I went from age to age until I was on the threshold of my 40th. I realised oh my gosh! I am Four Zero, forty!

On my 50th, I was posted in Dehradun. I was alone, so I celebrated my birthday with my colleagues in the Bank.

When my 60th arrived my children wanted to celebrate it together. So off we went to USA. We all went to the beautiful Lake Winnipausakee and spent two carefree and wonderful days together.

Since then every birthday has become special. Each passing year adds to the candles on the cake and the fun is only increasing. I think I am surely in my second childhood stage, because I have so much fun on my birthday!

Friends, near and dear ones spare time for me, there is the essential cake and candles. We  meet, we eat and  laugh the day away.

Time I know can not take away anything, it only adds. It adds to my wrinkles, it adds to my wisdom,  it makes me more careful as I walk up and down the steps, it makes me more patient with those around me, it makes me weigh a little more after every meal. It teaches me the value of taking regular walks. Time has taught me very clearly about the food that I must eat. I also know which food has carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and what have you. I know now  after about 50 years of having left School, the different kinds of food, fruit and vegetables that I need to eat. It is now all about sustenance and maintenance.

I wonder if it is a good idea to go back to School again in this, the second childhood of my life.  In the first childhood, I learnt about life and how to lead it, now I have to learn about how to lead the second half of my life. 

Now there is an objective, a purpose and  time which is all my own. I have the freedom to chose what I want to do. There is no binding and no rush. I can develop all the skills that I have always had but which had been kept under wraps so far. I can learn to write, paint, draw or sing, play a musical instrument or even learn a new game, or cycling which I never learnt. 

I am now a free person with time ticking away. To use this time fruitfully and leave for posterity something which is my personal contribution is really important.  A friend had recently said to me "write your own Obituary". It will tell you all about yourself and also tell you about your achievements so far. Perhaps after seeing my own movie in hindsight,  I will be able to work wonders and leave something for posterity.

As far as cells of the body go, they keep renewing themselves. I am changing all the time. With my positive approach and cheerful countenance I can keep myself happy and renew  my cells well. If I keep feeling apprehensive of impending old age then perhaps the deterioration will set in faster. 

Now I am in search of that school which will teach me lessons for my second childhood. Hey, do you know of any such school? Let's find it or  if we can't find it then let's found it...what do you say??

My second birthday