Bbye 40s
Birthday, yet another one. I welcome each of them with humble appreciation and thankfulness. This year, it was a scorcher since early morning and any plans for outdoor fun stood cancelled. I rounded off my journey as a quadragenarian quietly at home with retrospection of peaks and troughs that life has pushed me through over the last decade.
Blissfully cocooned in the safety net of parents, maids, and friends of a prestigious convenient gated-community, I never imagined what the decade would throw at me; afterall, I had no intention to step out of this safe haven post the US stint. But change is inevitable and it's wisest to accommodate and move on. Hence, when my spouse decided to travel and explore new horizons, I followed suit with my 8-year old to Sydney. The ways of life weren't alien, yet it was shocking to fathom how tough it was to survive on your own and take care of home, family. First two years were insanely stressful to adopt the education system and getting my son settled in a new academic ambience. Once we started appreciating how logical and bespoke the system was for each child, I started checking on career options. A new country often presents unimaginable/ unforseen impediments - was in the same spot in the US and knew better to walk through any gate that opened. It was a spaghetti junction of explorations - cloud technology, Big Data, tutoring, furthering academics - and none hung together. But my passion for language and maths finally took me to teaching - not my forte, but some inbred abilities saw me through a couple of difficult years. By then, I was already enduring physiological changes that ageing brings, rendering me osteopenic. But when Covid-19 lockdown ushered draconian regulations and harrowing days, it hit the nadir - sheer downwards incline from contemporaneous situation. Fortunately, it also turned out to be the starting point to an upwards cline scrambling to the current, somewhat plateauing curve. I switched back to the corporate groove, my son joined a school we coveted for, and we moved to our own unit (albeit on loan). Who goes cold feet at plunging gorges when a strong gurad of family, friendship, and God's blessings underpin the beauty?
Besides this remarkable journey, the decade was extraordinary in several ways. Communications and connections were revolutionsed bringing long-parted schoolmates, college friends, and ex-colleagues from all over the globe at finger tips. It was a delight to put behind past differences, envy, competition that seemed towering when I was younger but mattered the least through my ageing lenses. Once the initial awkwardness of joining the bunch after aeons was lightened, it was exciting and joyous to know of their families, their transformations, and new strengths. Not just the old ones, Sydney chapter brought new people who I'll cherish for years to come. If I wondered how long a decade could be - the answer was in my son's astronomical change from an innocent 7-year old to a capable young adult. Him taking care of his needs, presented me with additional bandwidth to rediscover edges that were largely unsharpened for years. Honing long-lost abilities of yoga, painting, reading, writing, and singing was cathartic, rejuvenating, and turned out to be effective means to connect with like-minded people. A new love I found was in plants - caring for them, knowing their nomenclature and habits, and using them as a powerful, impressive, natural decorative tool provided me with an avenue to feel restful. Kaleidoscope, my Insta profile, is a small social footprint that I just opened to mark this birthday; this'd serve as my time keeper to reflect on "Where did the time go" in the years to come.
Today I take the opportunity to sincerely thank my spouse for his unwavering support when I needed it the most, my parents and close friends who never hesitated to remind, suggest, and encourage me to be resilient, my current work-manager who provided me an opportunity of its kind, my supportive team members who I share a lovely and healthy camaraderie with, and Guru Maharaj - my sole source of strength. My heartfelt thanks to all who appreciate my little endeavours in creative sphere and motivates me to do more. Lastly, and most importantly, thanks to Sydney's labyrinth of excellent public transport without which a car-phobic such as me couldn't have found my feet in this adopted land. Of the many lessons that the decade had, an indelible one was to understand when to let go. It was unfortunate, yet meaningful to sever bonds with two close pals as we couldn't fit the pieces in the puzzles of our lives; yet, I'll be ever indebted to them for their profound and lasting impact on what I eat and wear.
Life will keep throwing challenges, body will give way, people will walk in and out leaving me in some mental state - all I pray of is wellbeing of everyone I know. May God protect and bless me and all my near and dear ones, acquaintances, every sentient life forms around me with health, happiness, and prosperity as that's what keeps me at ease.
As for the last day in 40s, it was amazing to wrap it up with Presentation Night of Normanhurst Boys High School. With my son stepping into his final school year, such celebratory moments with his cohort, school, and teachers are now numbered. While I'm looking forward to seeing him glowing up beyond this esteemed institution, I'm also making the most of this association with the school - a soft and substantial part of being a parent.
Here's the tapestry of the past decade through some captures. (Tap on a picture for clear view.)
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