Embracing the Late Twenties

I have been wanting to pen a turning-something post ever since I turned 21.

However, at 21, it was too early to write about the “profound wisdom” I had gained about the world.

At 22, it was cliché.

I was busy stuffing myself with cake all the subsequent years to suddenly wake up one day and find myself on the wrong side of 25 yet neither at the pinnacle of wisdom nor covered in the blanket of naivety. I reach an age after which I am probably going to keep chanting the phrase “age doesn’t matter” a lot to myself. But till then I heave a sigh as I pick up phone-calls from distant friends wishing me a happy birthday, and marvel at the fact how easily things change with age.

You grow up whether you want to or not- your new job and the new place ensures that you do.

You turn wiser and you laugh at the wisdom you thought you had gained when you were only 22 and a fan of Taylor Swift songs.

You also realize you know nothing today as compared to what you are about to see tomorrow.

Every day is a challenge, a struggle to do everything right.

Your yesterday proves for a fact that if you had doubts before taking the decision, it most probably was indeed a wrong decision.

You will probably have doubts before taking every decision. If you don’t, it would just be impulsive.

You will be fine, though. You will learn from every failure, every success, every step, every day.

If something turns out good, let’s just call it good management strategy. If it doesn’t, let’s just call it execution failure.

You will be exhausted by the evening. Your job would be mentally or physically or both ways taxing.

 You will realize how much of your work depends on your attitude for the day. You will fuel yourself every morning and recharge your batteries every night. If only your body was a car.

You will be tired, and so will be your friends. You would only be able to imbibe a certain amount of a certain something before calling it a night.

Your will power would be a limited resource. Someday you will understand how exactly to invest it just like hefty paycheck you are getting.

You will realize no amount heftiness is enough when it comes to paychecks. You will always strive for more.

Chocolates aren’t going to make you happier like it used to.

That extra slice of pizza is going to stay for a long, long time.

You will find out this world isn’t a fair place to be.

It isn’t school, there isn’t one examination. Every day is a test. But you need not always come first.

You will stop crying for every other disappointment. You will learn to fake a smile.

You will survive.

In a while, you will do more than just survive. You will come to terms with reality. You will shed expectations.

You will never stop dreaming big, yet you will not dwell only in dreams.

You will be happy and you will realize that it is probably the best way to be.

Be happy.