Silver streaks of lightening playfully adorn my hair. So randomly are they dispersed and so occasionally do they stand out, that each sighting feels like the first time. I smile and lean closer to the mirror, trying to stifle a giggle I can feel forming as my fingers go seeking them. Why people fear them, I understand them; they never fail to fascinate me.

I am grateful that they not showered me with their presence but have graced me with their casual infliction. A gentle reminder that though I don’t feel any older, I am getting old. Despair comes on those dark gloomy days when I question my accomplishments but in all fairness I think they merely admonish me for my lackadaisical efforts than scorn my failures. More often than not they serve as a testament to the fact that though life has seemed hard and its challenges insurmountable, I have indeed borne them well.

Look they have made me self indulgent today. But today, just today, it’s okay; I am allowed. After all, it is my birthday.