Birthday and other things

Birthday. It came and it went. And I'm twenty five today.

Getting up early morning only to be swept up in a gigantic hug by both the parents. That alone is enough to put a beaming smile on my face. Then the morning is spent in the temple, unraveling petal after petal of white lotuses. There were twenty five of them this time.

Its so very peaceful in the temple and under the rustling bo leaves and the wind peacefully swish swishing through the trees, I could have spent forever in that shade. It's ever so peaceful there, ever so tranquil. The slightly damp sand is soothing under the feet and upon the feet as well when it scatters all over you as you walk. Its a great feeling to be able to dig your feet in to the sand, bury your toes in there, sit down and contemplate. So much to think, so much to ponder over.

Made gift packs for all the little girls in the orphanage and I handpicked every little thing in that gift pack this time. Little girls like nice, dainty things and I being a little girl once knew exactly what I'd like to have. Sure enough, the girls really loved it. And I was glad.

We had been preparing meals, giving these girls gifts, spending time with those children on every birthday ever since I can remember. When I was very small, I remember being fascinated by the thought of sharing a house, a room with all these girls my age and I remember wishing that I was one of them. They seemed so happy those little girls. I wanted to be part of the group, to learn together, to sleep together, to do my homework together with them. Having a brother much much older than me and therefore having grown up pretty much a loner, I suppose I craved for company of my own age, to share my thoughts, my dreams and aspirations. That is why I turned to writing I suppose. Because I had a lot of dreams and had not many people to share them with.

I started volunteering at the orphanage later on and taught the girls English, helped them with their homework and even gave them French lessons whenever I could. My favorite memory with them has to be sitting down on the highest step of the front porch and reading and explaining stories to the youngest of the lot. But now, I barely have time to do that and I regret that very very much. I wish I could spend hour upon hour, watching the amazement turn to smiles and smiles turn to wonderment and wonderment turn to curiosity on those young and tender faces.

It was a peaceful day yesterday. Birthdays remind you how blessed you are and how lucky indeed you are to have the things that life bestowed you with. I am blessed with the best parents a girl can ever dream of having. My mother is the most courageous and the most brave and talented woman that I have ever seen, never backing away from a challenge and loving us, rearing us single handedly and balancing a career too at the same time with no help from anyone at all. My father is the most noble and the most honorable man that I have ever seen, unflinching in his ways and possessing the strongest sense of integrity and honesty than any man that I have ever met in my life. If I am lucky, I could only wish that I inherited some of those qualities from them to cherish forever and for always with me.

I've always been a lucky child I guess. I guess I've always gotten what I've wanted or I persevered till I did. But then, I've always had luck on my side and I suppose this life chose me instead the other way round. When I was born I was not breathing and it was a while after I had revived and started breathing my mother says. Thus, I chose not to breath, but life chose to give me breath it seems. However, love found me before I've even had a chance to wonder about it and happiness too has this way of creeping upon me when I least expect it. Of course I've endured pain, gamuts and gamuts of it too but I like to think that I did it quite well to be standing on my feet strong and steady today. But then they say that a stone shall only be polished and be shiny if it was bashed around quite a lot now, don't they? And then comes other more tangible aspects. I ventured on to the field of creative and corporate writing with no prior experience and no idea at all whatsoever with regards to what I am doing and within even less than a year, here I am a "writer" in the much modern and commercialized sense of the word, earning substantial amounts that no person my own age could even dream of and handling more projects than I would have liked to. Beginners luck I'd say. I've made my parents and all those who love me proud. And that is really all I want. I consider myself truly blessed to have been able to do all that as well.

A birthday passed reminding of all the things that I'm grateful for in this life. It was a twenty five years well spent I guess :)