Growing Up

Between my father's short temper, my mother's never stopping chattering and my brother’s silent nods, I have molded myself. I really believe that we don't grow up with age. It's the experiences and the journey that grows us, not our birthdays that we celebrate every year. Living is more about taking risks, thinking and doing out of the box than merely staying alive. Life offers us several little moments that actually show us what life is about.

This past year, two of my best friends moved away to foreign lands to pursue further education. One of them was my neighbor, my childhood sweetheart, who had been with me since grade one, who I could always run to if my day went off or started getting dull. The other was the one who taught me how it actually felt to be held when I was broken, the one I am in love with. Now that they are both a thousand miles apart, I often feel that I never told them enough how much I looked up to them, how much I loved both of them. Them moving away, made me grow up. It made me know how I could not put someone else on pedestal, rather than myself. It made me know that I should learn to accept reality even if it is bitter and lonely. It made me learn how special family is. Their little moments of silence, of revelations made me see life from a different perspective. And for that, I shall forever be grateful to them.

Growing up is not about how big your office is or how huge your apartment is or how much money you own. I think, it's more about how you have learnt to cope up with your co-workers, about how you manage time for everyone at home, about how you let your wallet open for those in need. Growing up is not about many arguments you have won, or how many different foods you have tasted. It is more about how you compromised your decision and considered the thoughts of other people, about how you went hungry one day because you helped a child on the street grab a bite. Growing up is not about the number of people you've acquainted with, or the number of cars you've driven. It's more about how you tend to your scars and help others tend to theirs, about how many times you gave lifts to those in need. Growing up is not about the number of relationships you have been in, about how long you have been married. It's about how you loved everyone in your life, how you worked hard for everyone you cared for. Growing up is not about how many lips you kissed; hands you held. It's about how many hearts you healed, how many smiles you created. Growing up is not about telling stories of how you drove your enemies over the edge, it's about how you learnt to drive away hatred from your life and shared the story of love.

I am no one to tell you that growing up will be easy, or hard. Because that is a story all of us are supposed to write on our own. I pray that your story gets written beautifully and when it's your time to share it, I pray that you have a lingering smile on your face; not the one of victory, but of joy.