Older but wiser
by Chandroo D.
Wow! I made it! I have existed for 75 years so far! This is a time in my life when I feel like I have reached a homestretch in life's marathon journey. 75 is a great number considering sadly that I have lost my elder brothers and father before they could even reach 60.
My life has been a gift filled with happiness and sorrow and I managed to survive more or less intact. I have experienced the loss of parents, many of my siblings and my best friends. I have also been through two unforgettable migrations, once from Hyderabad, British India and then again from Rangoon, Burma (now Myanmar). Having to start up a commercial company single handedly and building it up was the most challenging task when I was 28. Hard work, dedication, honesty and some good luck behind me brought me satisfactory results. Gratitude is something I should not take for granted and I truly thank my family who have backed me and accepted me all these years for who I am.. sometimes persistent and stubborn!
My life has been an educational journey and many a times I have learnt to improve from mistakes. I have always followed one wisdom though... if there is a problem in life, not to stress out. There is always going to be a solution and with that in mind and after sleeping through it, I do work things around and solve the problem eventually. Being from 'old school', hurtful and emotional as it may be sometimes, I have also managed to integrate with the new generation, their thoughts and behaviours.
When one reaches seventies, frailties and ill health begin to surface. Limitations in life become more obvious. It's therefore best to try and age with grace and humility. I am not fond of medicines and prefer to avoid them as much as possible and eat normally as I did when I was young. Street-side food and playing in dirt was the order of day during my younger days. It may be considered unhygienic these days, but not for me those days. The word 'cancer' was hardly heard or talked about. Unfortunately, with the present genetically modified or supposedly organic intake of food, today’s doctors love to pump you with probiotics, antibiotics and various tablets to cure you of any illness. Now that I am older I prefer not to take medical drugs that sometimes make you dizzy. I can get the same effect by just standing up real fast! Age is just in your mind. The trick is keeping it from creeping down into your body.
Sad to mention.. just as I write this, I have just learned that two of my dear school friends have passed away. Both were a few years younger than me. When it is time to be beckoned..it is time to go. Supreme Being at the pearly gate makes the decision and give us no alternative. Meanwhile, every day I beat my own previous record for the number of consecutive days I've stayed alive and consider every day a birthday when I wake up in the morning.