A couple of days back, I celebrated my birthday. And of all
the birthdays that I have had before in my life, this was probably the most
special of all. But don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t anything fancy at all. No
lavish escapades, no extravagant surprise parties—just me, my boyfriend, and my
renewed appreciation of my life. Being 26 must be pretty usual for some but to
me, this was the hardest, most challenging year I ever had to go through.
About a month ago, I underwent open cholesystectomy. It
sounds scary because it is. As far as I could remember, I was always in control
of my life. I had to grow up fast because I needed to look after myself and my
brother. I had to figure things out by the dot because living on my own, I knew
that I could not afford to make any hasty decisions. And so for the first time,
when I was lying in that cold, metal operating table just before I closed my
eyes, I felt that I wasn’t in control of my life.
But I made it through all that with a few people beside me,
with a couple of unexpected ones actually. I am beyond grateful to all these wonderful
people. I owe so much to all of you. It’s really having this kind of people
around that makes birthdays extra special. Hence despite all the drama and
stress I had to go through, I feel that I am still blessed. There is still so much that I should be thankful for.
So here’s to twenty-seven years of bleeding (literally and
figuratively), fearing, hurting, and keeping my shit together. Here’s to twenty-seven
years filled with laughter, smiles, tears, and everything else in between. Here’s
to the incredible people who’ve stuck with me through all this madness. And here’s
to the amazing life that lies ahead for all of us. Cheers!
