I'm 33 today. Halfway past the average life expectancy in my biological family. 8 years past the time an astrologer had predicted that i would die. 3 years past the time i was "supposed" to be marrried. 7 years well into a career i always loved but never really expected to be in. And 8 years into skipping the cubicle and strings of social expectations and living the kind of life I love everyday - doing the things i love, being with the people i love and not being answerable to people beyond my extremely close circle of trust that i call family.
Yep. Life, thankfully has been beautiful. And also, as it is evident, beautifully unpredictable and surprising. Nobody can predict what will happen. And that's what makes it beautiful.
As i ride through the mountains, alongside trees that that stood for centuties and glaciers that have been crawling down the mountainsides for ages, i evaluate the speck of time that has been given to me as the gift of life. It's a vast blank fabric. But It's such a miniscule speck in the fabric of time itself. And yet, it is so full of moments waiting to be filled in - that joy of a child getting that icecream he wanted, the overflowing happiness of a little boy waiting to see his grandfather when he sees him arrive at the gates, the first kiss of lips youve longed to touch sending flutters down your body, the amazement at the beauty of nature, the sense of brotherhood of friends, the spine chilling thrill of an adventure sport, the stoic calmness of holding someone who has been bereaved and letting them cry their heart out, the euphoria of wild, passionate, unbridled sex and the trancendental experience of being cozily snuggled into a quilt with your lover/s under the vast starry skies, the pain of having loved deeply and having had to let go, the heart wrenching sadness of losing a child/pet to death. So many experinces to choose from, so many experiences to live, on that same fabric of life that everyone is given. And everyone lives it differently. Watching lives is like watching scarves - some small yet beautifully embroidered in colourful patterns, some large yet plain and bland.
Im 33 today and i have 3 careers- Films, Fitness and Nutrition Consulting and Photography. But honestly, if someone asks me today about what i want to do in the future, im genuinely clueless. I dont have a job that i aspire to. I dont have a designation i dream of. I have material aspirations by the plenty, but they dont define my life. All i know is that i always want to continue doing the things i love - create art that evokes emotions and amazes people whether its via films or photographs or artworks on different mediums, help people rebuild their bodies and hopefully their lives, and spend time with good people, the people i love, people that inspire me and teach me and ofcourse, with animals. So basically, a sense of beauty and the capacity to execute it and wonderful people and the ability to build symbiotically enriching bonds with them, thats what it all boils down to if you ask me what i want from life or what i treasure most about it.
So with that in mind, here's to a beautiful 33 years of a rollercoaster life i'm much grateful for and how much ever lies ahead.
Cheers!
Pushkraj Shirke
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