Accept your age, and move on

From the heart; with Ann Mukei: Only a handful of the people I know are comfortable with their age. Most will do anything to look and seem younger. They dread their birthdays, and are reluctant to state how old they are. In fact, they will reduce their age by a couple of years.

Today is a special day for me, my two sons and their father. We shall be celebrating my birthday, and I have requested a cake, because I am sure my younger son will have fun singing for me.

I am human, and so I welcome an impending old age rather gingerly. But I am happy to be alive, knowing that it is only a few who are privileged to experience what I am. It has been a year peppered with awesome lessons. And milestones. And growth.

Here are some of the realisations I have managed to firm up in the last year:

God is there. No matter how much you may want to skirt around this ever controversial issue, you will always come full circle and acknowledge the existence of a more superior being.

Why? There are some things you cannot explain, like how the world come into being, how the various planets come into existence, how the sunrise operates like clockwork, how the moon is today full, tomorrow half and the day after crescent… How did the numerous seasons come into being – winter, summer, spring, autumn? And how do the numerous elements of weather give way for each other?

I have learnt that you will have more peace of mind when you accept the things that you cannot change. That it takes lots of wisdom to be able to do so. That there will always be people who are greater and taller and wiser than you are, but this does not mean that you are lesser or inferior. It is just the way things are; we all cannot be the same.

I have learnt that the truth will always set you free. The world may occasionally seem unfair, people — your friends and family — can be mean. So when you feel that all is lost, it really is not, because one day, no matter how long it takes, the truth will set you free, because life thrives from the truth.

Not everyone will like you. For this reason, it is important to be true to yourself and to those who matter to you. It is important to be true to your values and principles, if you are to live an honest life, otherwise a life of regret will be yours.

Time waits for no one. When you do nothing with your time and resources, the world does not cease to go on; time keeps moving and does not wait for the rich, the old or the noble – it waits for no one.

Life is more fulfilling when you find your purpose; that special path that belongs to only you.

Happy birthday to all those who celebrate their birthdays today. May you start on your best year ever.