November 16, 2006 – Just another day, or was it… Not for me at least…
It was my 30th birthday…
For the first time I felt that I had become old… for the first time I felt that I had reached a new milestone in my life and for the first time I felt that I would no more be as fortunate to find young and beautiful women to flirt with ;-)
I also felt that I had become old enough to avoid making the dumb mistakes of my 20s (I really hope they are behind me), and yet young enough to take risks with confidence so that even if they do fall apart, I would have plenty of time to bounce back.
However, when I sat down to think of the years that had gone by, 30 seemed like an unfathomably distant milestone. I had travelled so much in all these years…30 sure seemed old! A part of me felt nostalgic (and a little sad) remembering the years that had gone by… when anything was possible and my whole future was ahead of me.
At the same time, I feel incredibly lucky to have had the past decade.
I graduated, despite my terrible grasp of accountancy and economics nearly causing me to flunk the B.Com exams.
I have had a bunch of great friends — friends who've been by my side at some of the toughest times of my life.
I have also met some of the most amazing people at my workplace (workplaces to be precise...I've changed 4 jobs in 6 years). They have gone on to become an integral part of my life... They are the people whom I can trust, with whom I can be myself... and above all whom I can call friends, not colleagues.
However, the best part of the last decade was meeting the most amazing woman who is part of my life today. She inspires me to be a better person in every facet of my life. I am so lucky to have found her.
Though there are so many things I didn't do or so many things that I won't get a chance to do again, I am still proud of my 20s. The one thing that I have realised is that there is so little time in life, no matter how long a life you have. There's so much more I want to accomplish in my life and in my career that I feel I am already behind. A decade ago thinking 30 was old. However, now that I am 30, I am ready to take on the next decade full-throttle.
