Hawwwww. But, I did :(. THIRTY. I am officially old. Booohooo. Or wait, should I just take Frost at face value - "Time and Tide wait for no man, but time always stands still for a woman of thirty."
Now, I could have done a post on why turning 30 sucks - but nobody would be interested in that. EVERYBODY knows turning 30 SUCKS! And I do have my reasons already listed out here. I could have done a feel good post, how I still feel only 18, but then that would be only trying too hard. I already bid adieu to my 20's here.
So, I thought as I come to terms with the big number, why not list down the lessons I have learnt as I have grown up (though that itself is questionable) - some the hard way, and some a little more easily. (No surprises that there is one lesson for each year :D.)
P.S. Ofcourse these lessons are not all saintly - they are practical and meant for "normal" human beings. After all, not every monk wants to sell his Ferrari!
P.S. Ofcourse these lessons are not all saintly - they are practical and meant for "normal" human beings. After all, not every monk wants to sell his Ferrari!
1. Age is nothing but a number. And, you can play with numbers. Subtract, divide, erase - do as you please.
2. Ditto as (1) above, weight is also nothing but a number. And, btw, the years of wisdom need some display area!
3. You will spend your teens and early 20s swearing that your parents "just don't get it". And a couple of years later, as if almost magically, appreciation and understanding for all that they did and didn't do, will magically descend on you. Suddenly, spending vacations and all your "free time" with parents will become the coolest thing ever!
4. As the years pass, friends will become harder to come by. Your 4 am and anytime friends will continue to be your school or college pals.
5. All that hurry in high school years to try on the latest mascara, eyeliner, nail paint is needless. Make-up can wait. It will sooner than later even become a little necessary on certain occasions :D.
6. You get over school and college crushes sooner than you know - those helpless tears were indeed not worthily spent. And that was surely not heart break! The biggest proof of this will be as you will find yourself "liking" (very genuinely) each other's spouse's and baby's pics on FB ;).
[Afterthought: I think I am going to invite trouble on this one, but, like my 8 year old nephew says it, who cares!]
[Afterthought: I think I am going to invite trouble on this one, but, like my 8 year old nephew says it, who cares!]
7. There's not much fun in watching a movie with your own money, with people the whole world knows you are with, and when you can check-in on Twitter and FB. Nothing beats the ecstasy of siphoning off money from mom, bunking a class and then tiptoeing into a movie hall with "questionable" company, while all the time keeping your fingers crossed that no family, teachers or neighbors spot you!
8. All things sugar and sweet, however good, get boring. Spice is a necessity of life. All spice, without sugar? Not many would complain ;).
9. Tears is not a sign of weakness. Nor is being emotionless a sign of strength.
10. While having a Plan B is a great idea for continuity and sanity - the only problem is that most often than not those with a good Plan B often give up Plan A very easily.
11. In our race to get everything done, we sometimes don't spend adequate time doing things that actually matter. It is good to always have priorities, and keep re-evaluating them. You cannot do everything all the time without being unfair to yourself.
12. Your most embarrassing moment is yet to come. Everything that happened till today is forgettable and forgivable.
13. When somebody asks for help, give all you've got. If you need help, take all they've got.
14. Everybody is innocent, till proven otherwise. Take your chances, make your own judgments, nurse your own hurts, create your own experiences.
15. Forget easily. Nobody and nothing is worth it.
16. Forgive at your own pace. You are worth a lot more.
17. It is difficult to please everyone. Somebody is going to get offended, somebody is not going to like you and many will hate you. Too bad. Their loss. You need to keep true to yourself and love unconditionally the people that matter.
18. There's always another side, another perspective to the story. The picture is never complete. Allow for malleability in your thoughts, opinions and views. Rigidity is your greatest enemy.
19. Everything is prone to change: your feelings, your clothes, your relationships, your goals - adapt and go with the flow - keep your optimism intact.
20. It is okay to "not know". Nobody knows everything, and there's a reason why Google has such a powerful search engine.
21. Tomorrow never comes. NEVER. It mysteriously disappears on the day of its impending arrival. Don't plan anything for tomorrow.
22. Indulgences - every once in a while - as often as they make you feel good - are totally worth it.
23. If you want to buy a dress or a pair of jeans that you really really like. Buy it now. Don't wait to lose a size or two before buying - because, you know it's never going to happen. [Also, refer point 2 above.]
24. Water is the elixir of life (though, good wine might come a close second). Drink lots of it.
25. If someone happens to cross your mind, thoughts or dreams, reach out to them. No, it's not weird, it's not stalking, and it's surely not being desperate. It's called keeping in touch, and do it even if it has been years since you connected.
26. Day dreaming is the ultimate panacea for all ailments - a bad day, a sour mood - imagine your favorite place, your favorite person, imagine doing something scandalous, imagine living out your most romantic or adventurous novel or movie. It will all be okay, again.
27. Let everybody have a say. You don't have to agree with what they say, but defend their right to say it!
28. Eat dessert for breakfast, main course for lunch, and salad for dinner - The only way you can reasonably scrape through middle age without a humongous midriff and without any grave cravings left unfulfilled.
29. One great plus of growing "older" is that you become more secure about your individuality. You can fearlessly claim that you love the latest tapori bollywood number, wear ill-fitting, out of fashion denims, refuse to go with the majority, without having to worry that somebody would be judging you. The need to explain yourself begins to disappear.
30. There's so much grief in the world, there are so many unfortunate people - your sorrows are trivial when you compare them to those that other people are suffering from - spare a thought for them, count your blessings, and thank someone up there (or someone you believe in) who has been taking fairly good care of you.
10. While having a Plan B is a great idea for continuity and sanity - the only problem is that most often than not those with a good Plan B often give up Plan A very easily.
11. In our race to get everything done, we sometimes don't spend adequate time doing things that actually matter. It is good to always have priorities, and keep re-evaluating them. You cannot do everything all the time without being unfair to yourself.
12. Your most embarrassing moment is yet to come. Everything that happened till today is forgettable and forgivable.
13. When somebody asks for help, give all you've got. If you need help, take all they've got.
14. Everybody is innocent, till proven otherwise. Take your chances, make your own judgments, nurse your own hurts, create your own experiences.
15. Forget easily. Nobody and nothing is worth it.
16. Forgive at your own pace. You are worth a lot more.
17. It is difficult to please everyone. Somebody is going to get offended, somebody is not going to like you and many will hate you. Too bad. Their loss. You need to keep true to yourself and love unconditionally the people that matter.
18. There's always another side, another perspective to the story. The picture is never complete. Allow for malleability in your thoughts, opinions and views. Rigidity is your greatest enemy.
19. Everything is prone to change: your feelings, your clothes, your relationships, your goals - adapt and go with the flow - keep your optimism intact.
20. It is okay to "not know". Nobody knows everything, and there's a reason why Google has such a powerful search engine.
21. Tomorrow never comes. NEVER. It mysteriously disappears on the day of its impending arrival. Don't plan anything for tomorrow.
22. Indulgences - every once in a while - as often as they make you feel good - are totally worth it.
23. If you want to buy a dress or a pair of jeans that you really really like. Buy it now. Don't wait to lose a size or two before buying - because, you know it's never going to happen. [Also, refer point 2 above.]
24. Water is the elixir of life (though, good wine might come a close second). Drink lots of it.
25. If someone happens to cross your mind, thoughts or dreams, reach out to them. No, it's not weird, it's not stalking, and it's surely not being desperate. It's called keeping in touch, and do it even if it has been years since you connected.
26. Day dreaming is the ultimate panacea for all ailments - a bad day, a sour mood - imagine your favorite place, your favorite person, imagine doing something scandalous, imagine living out your most romantic or adventurous novel or movie. It will all be okay, again.
27. Let everybody have a say. You don't have to agree with what they say, but defend their right to say it!
28. Eat dessert for breakfast, main course for lunch, and salad for dinner - The only way you can reasonably scrape through middle age without a humongous midriff and without any grave cravings left unfulfilled.
29. One great plus of growing "older" is that you become more secure about your individuality. You can fearlessly claim that you love the latest tapori bollywood number, wear ill-fitting, out of fashion denims, refuse to go with the majority, without having to worry that somebody would be judging you. The need to explain yourself begins to disappear.
30. There's so much grief in the world, there are so many unfortunate people - your sorrows are trivial when you compare them to those that other people are suffering from - spare a thought for them, count your blessings, and thank someone up there (or someone you believe in) who has been taking fairly good care of you.
Quite a handful, isn't it? I find it difficult to process so many nuggets of wisdom at one go but I found myself nodding for all the above points. And, let me add another one - Too much brouhaha about 30! Every age has its own magic and curses. No other choice except to embrace - warts and all.
ReplyDeleteCheers and welcome to the Club!
Joy always,
Susan
Embrace it all for sure :)
DeleteMass :) .... I will read it again in 6 yrs and see how I fit in :D
ReplyDeleteAt your age, I wouldn't even bother reading the post. at 24. nobody thinks of turning 30 - it is an impossibility!
Deletethank you!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the club, dear. Its almost a year and a half in 30's and its pretty great. I am wiser (atleast I like to think so), little more relaxed and carefree than I was in my 20's. Good Luck and God Bless!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sai!
DeleteBy reading this post I have obtained some wisdom about 4 years in advance :d My personal favs are point 19 and 24. I can do that, eat dessert for breakfast. But I wonder if I wouldn't end up eating it for lunch and dinner as well. :)
ReplyDeleteha ha ha - u have a long way to go dearie - at 26 I was much younger :P
DeleteHey, you and I were born in the same year! I turned 30 a few months back.
ReplyDeleteI agree with so many things you said :)
Love this one "One great plus of growing "older" is that you become more secure about your individuality. You can fearlessly claim that you love the latest tapori bollywood number, wear ill-fitting, out of fashion denims, refuse to go with the majority, without having to worry that somebody would be judging you. The need to explain yourself begins to disappear."
Hey Hi five to the 30s then :)
Delete