I realized that I’ve started appreciating beverages when I started rejecting cutting chai for my brewed
Likewise, a lot of things around me & about me started changing. The jholas were replaced by bags. Quieter, simpler earrings replaced noisy, junk jewellery. Cocktails replaced tequila shots. Dinner outs replaced pub hopping. Yoga replaced couch-potatoing in front of the tv in the evenings. And most importantly, infrequent but happiness-inducing conversations with close friends replaced the constant need to be in touch with the whole world.
Of late my world has become smaller, tighter & clearer. Now a quiet evening alone at home is counted as quality time that I really look forward to once in a while instead of what was earlier termed as having no life! Suddenly I have no desire to stay in touch with everyone I know. I count few as friends & get in touch with them sooner or later. I can’t hold a random conversation with an acquaintance for too long. I have lost my tolerance for shallowness & convenience. Family has become a big priority. The well being of my brother has taken a predominant position in my list of daily concerns. Following up with Mom on her diet control & medicines and reminding Dad to consume healthier food is now a voluntarily imposed routine.
The water suddenly seems very calming. Swimming has become a route to escape within myself. Just sitting beside M quietly makes me feel content. I don’t seek for constant approval & reassurance for all my insecurities from the world. Miss P & I have started talking about real life, real problems. With age, like scotch, our bond has matured & become finer than it was.
Soup has become good dinner. Crushed ice with Baileys has become a favourite after-dinner indulgence. Investments have become important. Splurging has declined. Hair appointments are crucial and well timed. But buying a French manicure kit to do it at home gives me some satisfaction of being thrifty! Holidays are sensible & so is the spa package one opts for. Taking extra care before getting all the whites washed is also a recent development after heart breaks over them getting ruined & then getting them dyed.
Career is no longer a blind road that I once rushed into. Boredom is now no more an option. Hobbies have resurfaced. Some old books, some tattered diaries have been unearthed from the recesses of my old room in my parent’s house. Toying with the idea of writing a book someday is now a dream that shows itself often at night. Helping the sincere maid escape the egoistic, slightly demented rich neighbor is an important agenda that one must achieve. The idea of having a child in a few years doesn't seem that scary anymore. Knowing the latest property rates & following up on new projects seems like a good time pass.
Some things however, have thankfully remained the same. The nuttiness hasn't changed. The laughter hasn't reduced. The love stays strong. The friends remain as family. The family continues to be the rock. And the silent prayer I send up for letting me have the constants & the changes will still go everyday.
One imagines this is all part of growing up not growing old. :)
