Its time I hid my age!!

To quote a friend, "no one bothers when you turn either 26, 27 or 29.. when you're a woman, and single, and working.. you're just 'old'!".. hehe.. !! That thought rang through my head the whole of this Sunday, all through the glorious day which reminded me I am yet another year older, probably half my life is already over and I haven't got much to show for it!!

I spent a large part of the day chewing on that, between calls where people of course reminded me of how old I am getting and how I should be married by now (what is this Indian obsession with marriage anyway?!!)... According to my g'dad, on each birthday, one should spend 5 or 10 mins in the day to 'take stock' of where life is going, where it has gone, what we intend to do with the rest and whether we are satisfied with what we have already done with it in these last few yrs... and here many of us prefer to drink the day away, preferring to let the day go by in a daze rather than facing reality..

Was also reading someone’s blog and from there I got the idea, should I make a mental (pun intended) checklist of what I want, and what I have?

"Naaaah.. I don't want to be disappointed" - that was my first reaction..

But then I thought, why should I be disappointed? I am perfectly happy with my life as it stands today, and the way I have lived (most) of it.. This time, the grass is greener on MY side!

Sure, there are things that I still haven't done, places I haven't seen, people I haven't met but thats ok.. if I do everything now, what will I do for the rest of my life?! I count myself amongst those who have seen a lot of life, been places, had a lot of exposure.. few are lucky enough to have families which give them all the freedom they require at the given age.. so one doesn't feel like a bird flown from a cage when one moves out of their home for the first time in their life (like so so so many college kids who literally flee from home and end up misusing their new-found freedom!)... and especially for girls.. of late, I have come across many women who do not still have the freedom to make their own choices, even after having worked for a few years.. when I see that, I thank my stars that the only reaction my parents had when I told them "I am going to Paris for more than 1 yr" was "Oh cool.. now u'll learn how to cook!!"! :-)

Moreover, there is only more to see in this world, and one can never say "Oh, I've seen enough"... so there isn't any point in me sulking and thinking "my life is over".. I swear, there were times when I thought thats it.. looking good, feeling good and doing good is all a matter of only being in the twenties (initially <25).. but then as I grow older, I realise the more 'mature' one gets, the more groomed one becomes... and leading a single life is more hassle free than having 2 kids bawling near you 24 hrs a day and husband demanding attention as well! (God bless those who can manage this.. am happy for you!).. but thats just not me.. I have other dreams for myself.. and I find that people (some people atleast) get intimidated by ambititious women..

Anyways, I do realise that I am making a lot of generalisations.. but mostly I am addressing those questions which tend to bring up insecurities in someone like me.. thankfully most of my friends, men and women, do not confer to this attitude... but I have to admit I was pensive on my b'day, wondering what this year holds for me.. What was ringing through my head was that 'hiding your age' was something only your mom and her friends did! So when I realised that I better start hiding mine too, for self-preservation more than embarassment, I was like "Whoa! How old am I?!!"..

But I finally decided that it's not been bad at all, and that I still have a lot to look forward to as well.. my checklist, if I were to make it, would mostly be checked! So, the concept of 'living a fulfilling life' has not evaded me, and I am sure it won't in future either...

Cheers to that!

P.S. Pls don't ask me my age, coz I am going to finally start hiding it! But.. I am not THAT old yet either! :-))