{"id":317062,"date":"2019-11-26T12:34:37","date_gmt":"2019-11-26T12:34:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tehelka.com\/?p=317062"},"modified":"2019-12-31T07:50:27","modified_gmt":"2019-12-31T07:50:27","slug":"an-open-letter-to-self-on-nearing-50th-birthday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/an-open-letter-to-self-on-nearing-50th-birthday\/","title":{"rendered":"An open letter to self on nearing 50th birthday!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Dear self,<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I am writing this open letter to you with some advice that I <\/span>for you as I head towards 50th momentous birthday. The US President, John F. Kennedy once penned that \u201cChange is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future\u201d. Well to me it\u2019s a great time to be alive. It\u2019s a time to make a positive difference in people\u2019s lives. Looking back, I\u2019ve done a good deal of those things and I\u2019m grateful.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, you have entered the age of beautiful group of people between middle age and elderly. Congratulations! I am certain you have grown enough to understand that life is precious and <\/span>it must be lived with care. I am certain that you had some difficult moments in life but still have accomplished way more than you imagined and tried to make a difference in the world. You have found some happiness and brought smile on some faces with you tough demeanor and kind heart. You have learned to show yourself grace and welcomed the light that comes from God above whenever you have felt friendless.<\/span><\/p>\n

As you cross 45 and head towards the momentous 50th birthday, many expect to have fallen in love, got married, bought a house, settled down and had children by the time they turn for the half century. For many, 45-50 is a milestone age when you may start to look back and take stock of everything you have done or achieved so far materially and spiritually.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let me tell you what sort of changes I am feeling within me? Let me share with you\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

1) <\/span>After loving my parents, my siblings, my spouse, my children, my friends, now <\/span>
\ni have started loving myself.<\/span><\/p>\n

2) <\/span>I just realised that I am not \u201cAtlas\u201d. The world does not rest on my shoulders.<\/span><\/p>\n

3) <\/span>I now stopped bargaining with vegetables & fruits vendors. After all, a few Rupees more is not going to burn a hole in my pocket but it might help the poor fellow save for his daughter\u2019s school fees.<\/span><\/p>\n

4) <\/span>I pay the taxi driver without waiting for the change. The extra money might bring a smile on his face. After all he is toiling much harder for a living than me<\/span><\/p>\n

5) <\/span>I stopped telling the elderly that they\u2019ve already narrated that story many times. After all, the story makes them walk down the memory lane & relive the past.<\/span><\/p>\n

6) <\/span>I have learnt not to correct people even when I know they are wrong. After all, the onus of making everyone perfect is not on me. Peace is more precious than perfection.<\/span><\/p>\n

7) <\/span>I give compliments freely & generously. After all it\u2019s a mood enhancer not only for the recipient, but also <\/span>for me<\/span><\/p>\n

8) <\/span>I have learnt not to bother about a crease or a spot on my shirt. After all, personality speaks louder than appearances.<\/span><\/p>\n

9) <\/span>I walk away from people who don\u2019t value me. After all, <\/span>they might not know my worth, but I do.<\/span><\/p>\n

10) <\/span>I remain cool when someone plays dirty politics to outrun me in the rat race. After all, I am not a rat & neither am I in any race.<\/span><\/p>\n

11) <\/span>I am learning not to be <\/span>embarrassed by my <\/span>emotions. After all, it\u2019s <\/span>my emotions that make <\/span>me human.<\/span><\/p>\n

12) <\/span>I have learnt that its better to drop the ego than to break a relationship. After all, my ego will keep me aloof whereas with relationships I will never be alone*.<\/span><\/p>\n

13) <\/span>I have learnt to live each day as if it\u2019s the last. After all, it might be the last.<\/span><\/p>\n

14) <\/span>I am doing what makes me happy. After all, I am responsible for my happiness, and I owe it to me.<\/span><\/p>\n

I decided to send this letter to myself because why do I have to wait for so long to express myself to my own self?<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

letters@tehelka.com<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dear self, I am writing this open letter to you with some advice that I for you as I head towards 50th momentous birthday. The US President, John F. Kennedy once penned that \u201cChange is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future\u201d. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":317066,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[23,2205],"tags":[12064],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317062"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=317062"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317062\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":317071,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317062\/revisions\/317071"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/317066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=317062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=317062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=317062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}