Article#13: The BIG four-ohhh !!

I FINALLY TURNED 40! There’s a reason I say FINALLY…

Something I heard recently stuck with me. One of my favorite people/celebs, Mindy Kaling, was talking about her 39^th birthday in Ellen’s talk show, and she said “9 is a weird number. I’d rather be 40 for 2 years straight than 39 for one. When people ask you your age and you say 39, it feels like you are clinging to your 30s in a lame way! I would just rather say I am 40!”

So, I have been saying that I am 40 for the last 2 years, as even this blog name would testify!  And now, I can proudly say that I AM an even 40!

For the past year and some, I had been planning this exotic celebration in my head to mark the landmark – a solo extravagant, exotic, mind-blowing 40th birthday trip. In my head, it would involve being in a faraway place like New Zealand, or a backpacking trip to Vietnam, or a luxury resort-hop in Thailand (all places that I hadn’t yet visited and been wanting to).

But age brings wisdom – probably the only thing I like about getting older. As the day approached, I knew I needed a different recipe for my 40th if I was to truly enjoy my birthday, and the ingredients in it were Lizzy, dad and close friends.

I realised that there is lurking feeling of feeling lonely in a gorgeous place, a hanging thought that “I am alone on my birthday”, in spite of being surrounded by beautiful beaches, beautiful strangers and in the lap of luxury.

Was I willing to take that risk? Or, more pertinently, was it all that I was making it out to be?

As D-day got closer, my plans took their own shape in my mind I decided to spend the day, and week, doing exactly what I like to do; being lazy, food-ing it up, hugging Lizzy, chitchatting with dad and hanging out with my dog group (** the dog group is this bunch of people, who are starkly different, and the only thing binding and bonding us together is DOGS and loose screws).

And that’s how the week went, with lots of chatter, lots of dogs, lots of food (Including awesome filter coffee and Corner house ice cream), and lots of dancing. In short, a lot of me and where I wanted to be, and NONE of the wannabe-ness I had aspired to all through the last year.