And I Grew Up…That New Year’s Morn

Growing up does not mean ageing. At-least not to me. To me, it implies maturity. It’s when you start looking at the world with a lot more patience and you realize that truly nothing is within your control other than your own responses. Its when you feel grateful for all the things you have. Its about being able to let go and accept what life shoves at you with a smile, hoping it will get better and knowing it could have been worse.

When was your ‘growing up’ moment? Or is it still waiting to arrive? Would love to hear what ‘growing up’ means to you. It took me thirty-two years to just begin growing. So I’m still very much work-in-progress…

grew

I remember ’twas new year’s eve
All those around, in a rush to leave,
to party and watch the fireworks in town,
and I got a call from dad to fly down…

I packed my bags and left the house,
The flicker of hope burning in me, I didn’t douse
Had been tough, managing it all,
I juggled hard and with care, lest it should fall…

A temporary phase, my mind repeated,
In the lounge where for hours I was seated,
How hard I wished I’d wake up one day,
Know it was a bad dream and brush it away…

A few more days, I had to hold on; you would be back,
And I’d hand it to you, the entire stack,
Home, kids… mine in name alone
But you were the back-bone.

“Saying the Mrityunjaya* mantra will help,” they said
A hundred and five times, just three more to go; but you bade-
farewell and breathed your last at the break of dawn,
And I grew up… that New Year’s morn’!

Mrityunjaya mantra – a prayer said to ward off death as per Hindu scriptures