I might have not felt it strongly on my first birthday.
Maybe it was during my twenty fifth birthday in 2003, I knew that 15 years down
the line, I will turn 40. Does that give rise to a thought that I might be
preparing for it? Did turning 40 require any preparation? Honestly speaking, it
didn’t! 40 arrived as smoothly as 25 could have. All I did was take a quantum
leap of making an announcement to the world that I was feeling MIGHTY AT 40. Millions of thank you to
one of my senior designer’s in office, who created a logo around the theme.
Even though I am yet to thank him in my special way. But I am yet to live up to
the promises, I had made to him. On being asked as to what I would do with the
logo of MIGHTY AT 40, I had made him clear – I will make visiting cards, print
envelopes, get a t-shirt printed. I did none of them. Not due to any particular
reason but, due to lethargy.
Someone asked me, how do I feel being at 40? I replied with
the zeal of #MightyAtForty. I compounded my reply with the same old cliché of ‘life
begins at 40’. Someone brought in his own touch by adding – hey dude, being
naughtily sexy at 40. Yes, I feel sexy. Thanks to the newly found freedom from
many reasons, which kept me tied down to unnecessary responsibilities.
Equally surprised I am at writing as much as any reader of
my personal blog would be. Why am I writing so late about my experience of
having turned 40? There’s no logic behind it. I am yet to share my splendid
experience of having attended TedX Panchgani in the month of January. That was
good old 18 days ago of my birthday. Now, almost after one month’s time, I am
still waiting to write an account of it.
As I stepped in the 40th year of my life, I stuck
to the ritual again. This ritual is the one, I’ve been following for years. At
exactly 8.05 am, I touch my mother’s feet; she blesses me and kisses me on my
forehead. She recollects the stories that revolved around my birth at the
hospital she was admitted in. I followed this ritual in 2018. I shall follow it
in the near future too. Only this time, I was a bit forthcoming about my plans
of celebrating my MIGHTY AT 40 moment in style and with friends.
Having turned 40, I am analyzing my stance in life. This age,
this phase seems like a blank cheque drawn in favor of 40. I am not tense like
others tend to. I think, I haven’t felt so excited ever. I feel now is the time
to grow emotionally intelligent, physically alert, mentally sound and
absolutely determined. I can sense the urge, to not wanting to stay stuck, with
what I have or what I could work my ass off, to have or possess or achieve.
I am not the only one to have turned 40 this year. My
closest friend Prashant and I turned 40 this year. Prior to us, a year back, my
best friend Nikhil too turned 40. In a smiling manner that he took it in his
stride. He might have complained about loneliness; but, he didn’t. He sounded
so happy to have the run the race so willfully. I think Nikhil’s immense faith
in himself made me rethink my 40. Replacing old thoughts with new ones, turned
me into a research scientist. The journey of research, I’ve embarked upon, in
the month of January, will continue for a few more months.
The research that I was speaking about is more human than
being practical/engineering.
But what’s the agenda for this #MightyAtForty? Maybe a
little mightier!
-Virtuous Vociferous | February 18 | February Blog-1 | 2018
