Growing Wise, Not Old

 “How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?”

                                                                                -Satchel Paige

I came across this rather eccentric but deep quote on one of my infinite wanderings on the web. It set me thinking. With my own birthday just around the corner, I couldn’t help but ponder over it. My best guess: Twenty-one in the brain, but maybe only twelve at heart…

With each year, we’re technically supposed to grow older. But is older wiser? What exactly is ‘older’? Is it old as in grey hair? Or is it just another revolution around the earth? My questions are endless. So here is a brief summary of what I learnt in the past year. It might not be much but if it has stuck in my mind, it is important. And, it might brand me 'wiser'.

If you can do anything about something, do it. Else, do not fret over it.

Laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you’re all alone.

Focus on now, by far the single most important moment.

Laugh openly, it helps break barriers.

Listen. Listen some more.

Stay Young at heart.

I told you, it isn’t much! But the fifty-one weeks since by last birthday have taught me this… not at all bad for a zero-effort venture.

I’m sure you’ve read these words a million times over… you could probably recite them in your sleep. But I’ve realized they are omnipresent only because they really are true, every single word of them.

It doesn’t matter how young or old you are. It is just a matter of perspective. Years ago I saw a 79 year-young uncle, dressed in purple from head-to-toe. People like him defy the concept of getting old. They truly embody the ‘age-is-just-a-number’ philosophy. With each passing year they grow wise, not old.

And that is something all of us should strive for: Growing Wise.

P.S. Don’t ask me how ‘old’ I’m turning…ask me how ‘young’… You’ll get a chocolate J

With a Thinking Hat...

Beware: This article essentially contains the random musings of the blogger.

Sitting on the steps separating my serene little balcony from the furious waters of the river of wonders created right at my doorstep by this blessed monsoon, I can think of nothing but the small surprises life sometimes gifts us. They come when you expect them the least, often teasing out a smile your lips weren’t aware of. At the time of writing, I have no specific reason to be so elaborate with my words. But I do have every reason to be happy.

When I see big, fat raindrops falling from the heavens above I am always reminded of what my hindi teacher at school, Mrs Minocha, used to say. She would say that no one, not even these drops of water, know their true destiny. If they fall into a snakes mouth, they become venom…but if they fall into a seep (a pearl’s shell), it is transformed into a magnificent pearl.

Life does something really beautiful. It takes our hand and leads us to our ultimate destination. All the while, it lets us pretend that we are making our own path; that we are our own masters. But along the way it gives us presents, relief, joy just when we are about to wear out. What else do you call the silent beauty of the moon when you look at it after a long day’s work? Does it not transport you to a different world, away from the drudgery of everyday life?

To me that moment every morning when I open my eyes is perhaps the most magical. Each night before I yield to my dreams, I make plans for my future, both immediate and distant. I’m certain all of you do that. We sleep with hope (rather the assumption) that we are definitely going to wake up when the sun rises next. What happens if we don’t? Our first breath at dawn is perhaps the best gift nature gives us every day, day after day, for years on end. And yet it is appreciated only by few nutcases like me with empty heads bent on thinking what I think.

Close your eyes for a minute. Please do…I am really serious. Are you still reading this? No? Good… It is really difficult right? Foregoing your optical powers for even a few minutes? Life becomes colorless, literally. Isn’t that another great gift of Mother Nature? Isn’t it another wonderful achievement? We can do this with each part of your body. So if your machinery has all its parts in place, we should send a note of thanks to Him right away.

It is infinitely simple to crib about your life, curse God for messing it up and not giving it the attention it deserves. But it is really difficult to appreciate the little things which He did give us, which not only make our life bearable, but also make it enjoyable. Without these our lives would perhaps be the most unhappening affair in town…living a full life would have been a boring and tiring occupation…

Today, in front of you, I resolve to live a full life…a happy life…a content life…and to forever abstain from a life which might be, in any form, approaching a terrible replacement, with the breath of fresh air blown out.

I hope you will too