I am twenty-five

Happy birthday to me :)

Dec 07, 2025

People wait for December because it is the end of the year. I see people posting that it is November and the year has ended, but I am like, "My birthday is yet to come.”

Okay! A lot of things have changed. I am changed.

“But someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” — C. S. Lewis.

I wore anklets one day, and childhood came rushing to me. I painted my nails with glittering nail paint, and I felt like Tinkerbell, the little fairy. I mean, I was not the kind of person who really believed in fairy tales or who admired the moon, but tables have turned.

But a big change I have come across is I have started to believe in magic. I truly believe that the universe has a plan for everybody. We don’t meet people for no reason. I feel there is some karmic connection with whomever we come across. I can be wrong, but I have started to believe firmly in this; even the fleeting ones feel karmically placed. However, if you asked my 24-year-old self, I would lash out, thinking it is all in our hands, but I have felt that we are utterly helpless beings on this earth. Life can be very dictatorial and unfair.

I am nostalgic!

This year was weird; I would wake from my afternoon siesta to experience a gush of memories. A hazy golden hour in the house that I don’t live in anymore. No matter how much I pour out my heart about wishing to be a child, I find it really hard to get over it. I still don’t get the idea of life and how it is irreversible. I mean, why can’t I transport myself to a particular time?

I feel I can take over the world.
I feel more confident than my older self. This 25-year-old is an apology to my younger self. I feel I have been doing injustice to myself in my previous years, as I was hiding myself, but I am the rainbow. I will continue to express myself louder and better.
When people were doubting my potential, I kept telling myself I am more than what people may think of me. This takes a lot of strength, but this is like adding one more medal to your treasure. I promised myself to follow my heart through and through, and I am developing the courage to follow my heart.
Birthday ritual!!
It is not cutting cake, going out, and having fun. It is crying. On my last birthday I cried because of a little girl who was a million times more excited than me for my birthday. She was counting days literally. She gave me a cup on my birthday, and yeah, I didn’t know how to handle so much love, and of course I cried.
This ritual has followed me since childhood. There is no particular reason as to why I cry. I cry on a daily basis; a tear is a must. Reasons may vary: a heartwarming reel, kind words from people, hormones, gratitude attacks, nostalgia, anger, frustration, disgust, and these days, grief. So my birthday falls into one of the days.
A glimpse of my twenty-fifth birthday!

My friend Prapti Sharma is one of the rare gems that you come across once in five years or sometimes a million. So, this lady is a beautiful person, which is an understatement. The best thing about her is that she is kind. One day, we were out, and I mentioned to Prapti I wanted to click more pictures casually. So she looked for a spot, drove us there, and clicked my pictures with so much enthusiasm. She got me chocolate on Children’s Day, and I am thriving because on the campus I can run to one person and cry when things fall apart. Honestly, it may sound small, but friendships take effort, and this person puts in effort effortlessly. It is a blessing to have a friend like her who celebrates womanhood, childhood and your success like it is her own.
My muffin of love, my home, my pookita, and my heart (drum rolls, please! my boyfriend). I can write at length about this man, but long story short, he is the wind under my wings. I sleep peacefully every day, knowing that there is one man existing on this planet who is proud of me no matter what I do, who is in my corner, and whose love is unwavering. I love myself even more when I see my reflection in his eyes. Thanking the heavens every day!! He celebrates my existence like a festival.
At the end of my 25th birthday, all I would want to do is let life consume me; questions like purpose and meaning still bother me, but doing the things that bring satisfaction is helpful.