This is what birthdays are made of :)

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!