Peter Pan turned 21!

Dad thinks Im Peter Pan. He doesnt accept the fact that Im growing up. Every year he asks me on my birthday, how old did my princess turn today… 18?? Every year I correct him and every year he refuses to believe me.
So I tried very hard yet again, two days ago, to convince my dad I had turned 21. No luck. He still thinks Im 18.
**Sigh** I’ll just take it positively and be flattered…

I remember being thirteen. I was in 8th grade. I couldnt wait to grow up. I had so many dreams, so much ambition, so much to do in life. Be all that I wanted to be. 8 years down the line, I see myself a somewhat different person. I wish I could go back to 3rd grade where my friends took my brand new oil pastels to make me birthday cards. I wish I could go back to 6th grade where my best friend gave me her own Barbie on my birthday cuz I had liked the doll so much. I wish I could go back to 8th grade where I was oh-so-damn-lucky according to all the other girls cuz one of the most popular guys in school liked me. I wish I could go back to 9th grade where we were the coolest group of girls in class cuz we played basketball better than the guys. I wish I could go back to 10th grade where being someone's best friend meant being loyal like a dog to them cuz we didnt know any other way to be. I wish I could go back to my A-levels where fun and laughter revealed its true glory.

8 years down the line, I think I'd like to go back. Find myself again. Find all that I lost. My trust and faith in people. Cuz growing up meant having many definitions redefined. Finding out that beauty is really skin-deep and that no one will look beyond your appearance to find out who you really are. That when people say trust me you shouldnt really take their word for it, you should always leave room for doubt. Finding out that what people say and what people mean are two very different things. That friends will talk about you behind your back, be very spiteful and mean and then expect a sorry to smooth things over. That the people you trust the most are actually the people that will break that trust. Finding out that how far you would go for a friend and how far they would go for you are again two very different things. That even after you give everything you have loved to somebody else, you'll still remain misunderstood.

But all is not dark and dreary. Birthdays are a good reminder of all that really matters in life.

Ami who’s birthday call was late cuz she had been praying for me earlier.
Sisters who get me a birthday cake of my choice even if they make me cut it at 11:20 pm instead of at midnight. Sisters who whine about the stupidity of what I ask for as a birthday gift but still get it for me. Sisters who complain that they are low on cash and bloody tired but still take me out for lunch. Sisters who make being away from my parents a lot easier on me.
Friends who get me a surprise birthday cake even if they arent really good at being sneaky. Friends who remember the shoes I had liked in a shop two months ago and give it to me on my birthday. Friends who start calling and smsing me from three days beforehand, reminding me about my upcoming birthday (as if i could forget :P).
People who dont really know me all that well but still sms to say happy birthday at 12. People who I think wouldve forgotten about me by now, smsing at 12 . People I cant even imagine wishing me calling me up at 12.

Yesterday one of my friends asked me, how does it feel growing up.
Somehow I feel a bit wiser. I learnt birthdays arent really about cakes, and the candles and the parties and the gifts. All these people who care enough to remember my birthday, and the health and happiness Allah has blessed me with… that is what birthdays are really about.

Happy Turning 21!!