“It's just a number, baby”

“Time is the longest distance between two places.” 

― Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie

Often while travelling in an auto, I would keep my eyes shut, (to avoid getting spooked by the reckless maneuvering, couldn't call that driving, could one? More like speed racing.) and then jolted by a sudden stop, I would open my eyes to a different place. Time is quite like that, years, decades pass us by and suddenly we realize, oh gosh was it that long ago? This sudden rush of realization never ceases to surprise me, even amaze me. I remember few years ago, when I had just turned the wrong side of twenty (funny terms, right or left would be more apt rather than right or wrong, wouldn't you say?), I would embarrassingly forget my age, what was it now, 22 or 23, oh wait 25? The mistake was genuine unlike what some people would like to believe, its just that the concept of age confuses me....it's like the auto ride behind closed eyes, I would feel the motion but not the distance. Now that I have stayed on the wrong side for quite a while, I can relate to being 25 or 26 or was it 28? And then there are birthdays ( which I love by the way, the whole deal with cakes and balloons!), I would often take a month or two to get used to the new number which would define me for the most part of the year ahead, so that I can avoid making an honest mistake of admitting to a number which defined me just a day before  the birthday, and wouldn't get reprimanded or scorned or just corrected which would, of course lead to a fresh bout of embarrassment! So what is it about age that is so terribly time consuming and obsessive? How much of a difference can a year make to this chronological number of my existence?

Before attempting to answer this “profound” question, I would like to talk about another equally confused and embarrassing take on time and the “ageing” associated with it....Recently I have realized people are as perplexed about my age as I am, which instead of being comforting can be strangely unsettling at times. I would recount this incident which had taken place a while ago as an example. I was travelling in a bus this time, and I was really bored, suddenly I noticed a very cute guy and he was looking in my way as well. We struck up a conversation and it was pleasant enough till we got around to talk about where he was heading. It was then I realized, he couldn't be much older than my little sister!!! I even mentioned that hoping he would prove me wrong, but oh no, he was a good six years younger!!! We were about to exchange phone numbers when this shocking revelation hit us, and he gave me his email id instead....oh well!

Another string of embarrassing incidents took place in Macau, China this year. I was asked to produce my pass port to the guard at the casino of the Venetian Macau, every time I tried to gain entry!! The age limit was 21!!! My friends commented it must be very flattering, is it really? Every time, we (my little sister and I) went to the casino, we were promptly thwarted and asked for age proof! Initially I blamed it on my sister, maybe sticking with her was confusing the guards, creating the illusion of youth....then I made the trip with my father, and yes I was stopped again...this time in his attempt to make things better (or worse), my father explained "She is 30!" and I was mortified. "I am 29!!" I retorted, but the moment was lost....so does it make a difference now, since I am moving on to the right side of thirty?! 

Right or not, time does move us, but where, I cannot say....maybe eventually, its the journey that matters not the distance or the destination.

“How did it get so late so soon? It's night before it's afternoon. December is here before it's June. My goodness how the time has flown. How did it get so late so soon?” 

― Dr. Seuss