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From hating my birthdays to realising that growing old doesn't necessarily mean losing out on fun, I finally love being in my forties and my birthdays!
From hating my birthdays to realising that growing old doesn’t necessarily mean losing out on fun, I finally love being in my forties and my birthdays!
Earlier, my birthdays were never really noticed, rather, they caused me more pain, for reasons I’d rather not say, than any other day. So, over the years, I developed a sense of passiveness for my birthday and the urge to celebrate it died down a long time ago.
But this year was special. I got my share of laughter, fun and surprises from my family and my close ones. I was very happy and grateful that I became a little more wiser and experienced. But the one thing that amused me was how younger lads were so anxious to know ‘the actual number.’ And not to forget, make fun of my ‘rising age’ and remind me every single time the rantings of ‘middle aged woman’ and of an ‘aunty.’
Yes, I am in my early forties, and although I am very comfortable in revealing my age, these antics really make me a bit naughty. I just make it even harder for them to guess my age and they make all sorts of calculations and come up with some funny number.
The more I don’t say, the more inquisitive they become, to the extent I could feel that all they wanted was a time machine to check when my mom delivered me!
To one of them I said I was 29 years. And the entire day, he was asking me about the year I passed my tenth grade, my graduation, marriage, and even when I delivered! Finally, I understood why he couldn’t get over it. He suddenly asked me, three days later about how, then, my son would’ve been born when I was just 13!
Honestly, today’s younger generation really disappoints me. Is age really that important? My age, your parents’ age or even anyone else’s, for that matter! And I bet, no one ever gives their real age when they go for a medical check up.
I am someone who has realised that, with age, you tend to get happier, wiser and more independent and may even naughtier! And yes, we have fun too, just like you, actually, maybe even more! For me, life at 20 was good, at 30, it turned better and at 40, it was the absolute best! And I am waiting for the most remarkable phase of my life!
I feel so comfortable with my age, my looks and the way I carry myself. That makes me wonder, if I don’t have any problem with myself, and my ‘aged skin,’ why do the people around me have to be so obstinate about making me feel ashamed of my age?
Let me tell you, people older than you, often keep a low profile, or they mask it with unnecessary pretension of seriousness. All this is done thanks to the inquisitive nature of the people and the inhibitions that we instil in their minds that having fun isn’t right for their age. In the end, it leads to them growing old faster than they should have! And in such times, the people forget to live their age to the fullest!
So next time, raise a toast to your dad or mom (well, if she likes it) on their birthday (no guarantee that you will not be thrown out of the house!) Jokes apart, be that friend for them, and make sure they have fun. Make sure they stay as naughty as you.
What more can you do than add more years to their life with the happiness that you give than the constant reminder of age and nearing death!
Well, I consider myself a toddler, as the saying goes, ‘Life starts at 40.’ But don’t tell me it is meant only for men! Is it because you don’t let women be reborn after 40?
Picture credits: Dice Media’s series Adulting
Lawyer by profession, specialising in Service Laws in Kerala, India. Hobbies include blogging, poetry writing, write-ups on day to day issues, parenting, relationships, and other socially relevant matters. read more...
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UP Boards Topper Prachi Nigam was trolled on social media for her facial hair; our obsession with appearance is harsh on young minds.
Prachi Nigam’s photo has been doing the rounds on social media for the right reasons. Well, scratch that- I wish the above statement were true. This 15-year-old girl should ideally be revelling in her spectacular achievement of scoring a whopping 98.05% and topping her tenth-grade boards. But oddly enough, along with her marks, it’s something else that garners more attention – her facial hair.
While the trolls are driving themselves giddy by mocking this girl who hasn’t even completed her school yet, the ones who are taking her side are going one step ahead – they are sharing her photoshopped pictures, sans the facial hair, looking nothing less than a celebrity with captions saying – “Prachi Nigam, ten years later”.
Doctors have already diagnosed her with PCOD in their comments, based on photographic evidence. While we have names for people shamed for their weight – body shaming, for their skin colour- racism, for their age- age shaming, for being a female- sexism, this category of shaming where one faces criticism for their appearance has no name. With that, it also has zero shame attached to it.
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