Why God Why! Turning 29…

Hey there,

I’m here again, this time, with a short gap between two blogs. I hope you liked my previous blog, which was quite emotional, and just an update: I’ve started writing the book I mentioned earlier.

I’ve been writing this blog for a week now, in bits and pieces, as sitting for hours in a row is not possible these days. It’s more like a luxury now.

Please don’t get me wrong when I say, “Why God Why” on my 29th birthday. It’s just a subtle heads-up that I’ve completed watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S ( a popular American sitcom which came back in 1994 and still holds relevance), and now I can finally get all the references.

On the contrary, I’m more than happy today as I celebrate my 29th birthday, which marks the end of a crazy decade and the beginning of a crucial one. Entering into the 30s seems scary, but as of now, let’s not go there.

Life is too short to worry about the future.

Over the past few days, I’ve been recalling and noting all the things that happened to me throughout this year and how I’ve evolved through the span of 29 years.

But, every year, as my birthday month begins, the first thing that comes to mind is my best friend, who went that extra mile to surprise me on my birthdays in unique ways. I miss her daily and will feel her absence in every moment of my life.

She had made my 25th birthday the most memorable day of my life. I will never forget her efforts in planning the day, so an entire chapter in my book My Brave Lady is dedicated to my 25th birthday. If you’ve read the book, you’d know how happy I was and how the tears of happiness couldn’t be held back.

The feeling that nobody will surprise me like she did is depressing. I miss her a lot—more than anybody could ever imagine. But I know she’s up in the sky wishing me a happy birthday and smiling from behind the clouds, trying to play her favourite hide-and-seek prank with me.

I feel sad to realize that, as years pass by, my hair is greying, and my body is changing in different ways, but my best friend will still remain the same, unchanged, smiling, as always, in the pictures which Google photos keep showing me.

Life is uncertain, and I cannot agree more on one of my favourite SRK titles, Kal Ho Na Ho.

I’ve been writing birthday posts for over a few years now. It’s something I gift myself, making myself feel special. You can click on the below to read my previous birthday blogs:

25 Things To Do Before You Turn 25!

26 Lessons Learned In 26 years

A Magical 2023

This year has been magical for me in terms of making new friends. I met a lot of people who eventually became my favourite people over one year. The bond has been magical as everything happened as if the Almighty planned it. It was like someone was writing us a fun, beautiful, and emotionally charged script.

I have been so fortunate to have a husband who has been exceptionally liberal while allowing me to be myself and explore the world on my own.

As mentioned earlier, another major update of this year is that I’ve finished watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S and am completely mesmerized. I’ve laughed, I’ve smiled, the love-making scenes have hypnotized me, and I’ve cried my heart out by the end of the last season.

All thanks to that friend who gave me that last push to watch F.R.I.E.N.D.S, and now we can’t stop talking about the characters and sharing the reels on Instagram. It’s awe-inspiring how I can relate Ross’s character to this friend of mine. And guess what? Ross is my favourite character, too.

My Instagram algorithm has changed entirely. You’ll now find me scrolling through F.R.I.E.N.D.S reels and sharing them with my friends. He aptly replied to my statement when I told one of my friends.

He said, “Algorithm is such an understatement…You didn’t realize your life has changed. Now you got a way to cover your pain with humour”.

That was deep, which makes complete sense.

Some Achievements

I’ve been making reels on Instagram for a long while now. But recently, I tried adding my voiceover to the videos. I bought a cheap mike to start with the voiceovers, wrote a lot of content and edited reels.

I was elated to get DMs and comments on Instagram saying, I’m doing a great job and that people are liking the voiceover. I also received some constructive feedback, which I am working on. 

Many times, we only think about doing something, but the execution faces a lot of hurdles. Hurdles like low self-confidence, lack of knowledge, and fear of experimenting with new things.

There’s always a first time for everything.

I did not think of the outcome when I first tried the voiceover. All I thought about was my wish to do it, and I went for it. There was a time when I hated to listen to my recorded voice. But today, I have to listen to it at least 20 times while editing the reel to share it with everyone.

I plan to make high-quality video content for my Instagram and am searching for a good phone. There’s a long debate going on between Andriod and iPhone. But I’m sceptical of investing a lakh rupees in a phone. Would you like to suggest the best phone for me? Click here to check out my Instagram. You’d get an idea of the content I post there.

Things to worry about

People who know me closely know me well, as I am an open book. I’m either hyperactive or low. There’s nothing in between. It’s always the extremes. My friends and family can tell in a fraction of a second if something is wrong with my mood. And that’s scary, and I need to work on this.

I can’t always be predictive.

September updates

September began on a very emotional note. A very sweet friend of mine left the country to pursue his master’s. We have had a wonderful time together this past year, but his departure before my birthday was a little saddening. I wish he was here for the cake-cutting.

Read this blog, to know this in detail.

I got into talking with a guy who’s seven years younger, and our vibes absolutely matched. It’s beautiful how the hi’s and hello’s turn into conversations, and we end up sharing things, like old friends.

I’m amazed how a Gen-Z and a millennial can get along so well!

My birthday gift

Everybody loves gifts, but expecting gifts from others can be a little disheartening sometimes. So, I make it a point to gift myself something significant every year.

This year, I’ve gifted myself an online course that has been on my mind for a long time. Finally, I’ve purchased it and will be learning something new. Soon, I’ll keep you posted about the course.

29 lessons learned in 29 years

Now, it’s time for the lessons I learned till now:

1. Nothing is permanent in life except for the memories: You’ll meet new people at different stages of life, but not all will stay. People will come and go, but the memories you create with them shall stay with you forever.
2. Expectations kill: I’ve always learned this the hard way. But after many bruises, I’ve finally stopped expecting anything from others.
3. Things will not always go as planned: We imagine and plan a beautiful, dreamy life, but life surprises us. And finding new ways to live through these surprises is LIFE.
4. Some decisions can go wrong, but there’s no undo button: Wrong decisions don’t mean it’s end of life. If you can’t press the undo button, do your best to make the decisions right. That’s all we have in our hands.
5. You don’t have control on other people’s behaviour: You cannot tell people how to behave and how not to. Sometimes, your good deeds will not be received the way you want them to. Ignore, and move on. Worrying about someone else’s behaviour towards you will only add to your misery.
6. There’s no shortcut to a healthy living: You have to wake up early. Sacrifice your dear sleep. Workout. Eat right. And ignore all that’s harmful to your body. All thanks to the metabolism, there’s no way other out to this.
7. You cannot trust every person you meet: There will be incidents where you overshare things, and they might be used against you. Trusting someone with all your heart can sometimes be a threat to you. Learned this the hard way too.
8. Everybody eventually gets busy in their life: It’s important to accept this fact and stop expecting the same connections you had with your friends once upon a time.
9. You can’t ignore your life problems – they are real: Parking them for a while is never a good idea. You’re only scared to take the right steps, hence delaying the circumstances.
10. Never overlove: Though I know this, I think I’ll never stop doing that. That’s me for you.
11. Never get too attached to people because their detachment hurts a lot: In some cases, you don’t move on. You only get used to the detachment as you get used to the attachment. But there’s a vast difference between the two. The former is quicker, while the latter isn’t.
12. Have something to look forward to every time: An empty mind is a devil’s workshop. Take up challenges, do things you love, and have a goal. Stagnancy is not a place where you should be in.
13. Never take your body for granted: Nurture it. It may give up on you at any point in time.
14. Mood swings are real: Experience them, but bounce back as soon as they’re gone. Don’t pamper your mood swings much. They might refuse to go away.
15. Prioritize your happiness: Nobody in this world will do that for you. It’s only you who are responsible to take care of your own happiness.
16. Do everything for everybody but expect nothing in return: Some people love doing stuff for their friends and family. It’s fun until you expect the same in return.
17. Money is for real, too: You can only pretend you have a million dollars in your account if you have a foolproof bank statement.
18. It takes time for the muscle memory to adjust to the changes: If you’re texting someone day in and day out, and slowly, the chats start disappearing, it takes time for the brain to accept the fact. Accept the fact that it takes time. Don’t panic; give yourself some time.
19. Remember your goals: You might sometimes get off track (link blog here), but you need to keep returning to it.
20. Your colleagues are not your friends: Keep both your personal and professional life separate.
21. Your 9 – 6 is just a part of your life: It’s not your life. Don’t drain yourself so much that you have no energy left to live your personal life.
22. Never stop reading: When I stop reading, I feel something is amiss. And when I get back to it, life feels good again. Despite knowing this, I’ve been spending significantly less time reading. Sometimes we know what’s good for us but tend to deflect from it.
23. Keep upgrading and upskilling yourself: That’s the only way to grow. Once you get comfortable in your pants, you’ll find it extremely difficult to grow in all aspects.
24. If it’s affecting your mental peace, get rid of it.
25. Your journey is different than your friends and peers. Stop comparing your progress with others.
26. Let go of things as well as people. Holding onto what’s not yours is foolishness. Let go. Make peace with it.
27. There are always three sides to a situation: your side, my side and the right side.
28. Do more of what you love. Make time for it. “…but I don’t have time these days” is an excuse. If you love something, you’ll make time.
29. YOU are important. While doing everything for everyone, don’t ignore yourself. Having a me-time is of utmost importance. Have it. For yourself. For your well-being. For your peace of mind.

That’s all for the day. I’ve been making time to write this blog amidst a mountain of household chores as we have Ganpati at our house for five days. As I publish this blog, today’s the last day. It’s going to be the craziest day, with a lot of birthday wishes to be replied to, phone calls, and Bappa’s Visarjan. Hash!!! I need to sleep for an entire day. If only I could!

But I’m happy I could finish writing this blog and post it on my birthday as planned. If you’ve come to the end of the blog, thank you for reading this long blog. It means a lot to me. 

See you soon in the next blog. Till then, take care and keep smiling 🙂 

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