Twenty Four

So I turned 24 recently.
Not that recent. It has almost been a month now.
Maybe I am still processing it.

Let’s face it. We all LOVE our birthdays. Well, narcissistic people like me do, atleast.
I mean, what’s not to love?

First and foremost, there is cake involved. And it is dedicated to you.
So, a totally legit reason to binge-eat half of it without the slightest bit of remorse.
This is followed by consumption of some more junk stuff. And the day mostly ends with a nice, exquisite dinner! Another reason to eat like there is no tomorrow!

No, food is not the only good thing about birthdays. Though it definitely is important. VERY IMPORTANT!

*takes a moment to stop day-dreaming about all things chicken and gets back to the real world*

Okay. Maybe not everyone would be as enthused about a delectable palette of the finest food in the world. This makes me sad. I mean, how can you not?

Anywho, yes, yes I know, birthdays aren’t all about the food. Infact, for most people (us girls, anyway), the best bits of the day are unwrapping the thousands of presents we coaxed our parents, SO and BFFS into buying for us!

It is a wonderful feeling! For this one day, you feel like the world literally revolves all around you. *Sigh*

If only that were true throughout the year, I’d be a gleeful angel strutting about the realms of this beautiful world!

Okay.. So we settle for just one day.

However ( Of course there is a “however”. When have I ever been about all things tingly-happy? )

However, things have changed drastically over the years. The gay abandon of childhood has been replaced by a perplexed state of mind, forever questioning its own sanity and getting knocked-down by paranoia about the imminent future.

After a certain age-gate, it is no longer just about getting older. It is also about taking one step further into a dark abyss of the unknown.
It doesn’t take rocket science to figure out that the future is indeed scary. It is oft quoted so.
And maybe, as the clock strikes 12, you realize that you are an adult. You have been an adult for quite a long time now, and somehow you failed to notice that. And then it hits you. Hard!

It is something we literally have been preparing for our whole lives: Facing the real world.
So why does it feel like we are not the slightest bit ready for what is to come?

Did our parents feel the same way, when they were our age?
Or is our generation turning out to be more complacent, hence befuddled by the concept of time?
The term “quarter-life crisis” is fairly new, you know.

Maybe it isn’t that hard.
Maybe we got  caught up in our lives so much that we forgot how long ahead the road we have already travelled. And landmarks such as birthdays and New Years, among other anniversaries, make us stop, think and analyze what lies in front of us and how to go further.

We keep post-poning things for the future, not realizing that the future is now. And so, the  things you thought were far ahead down the road are now staring directly at you, waiting for you to take charge.

You.

You call the shots now. You no longer have the veil of childhood to hide behind. You are your own person.

So there are no birthday parties with the cake being cut at 6pm, no room full of gifts from every kid on your block, no ridiculous whims and fancies entertained by everyone.

Things have changed. A lot.

And change is a good thing, is it not?

So now we cut the cake at 12am, get precious presents from the few people we actually enjoy spending time with and have our world filled with their smiles, which just ends up making us happier!

Maybe the future is not such a scary place after all!

– J

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