It was my 33rd Birthday; the number 33 in numerology is known as the master teacher or uplifter. I didn't feel wiser or older. I've always been told that birthdays are special days but, like every other year I felt nonchalant about my birthday this year too. It was almost as if I was waiting for something extraordinary to happen but I just didn't know what it was and, I was slightly disappointed that it hadn't happened yet.
Here I was, on a thoughtfully curated vacation that my loving husband had meticulously planned for us to celebrate my birthday. We were at a serene and beautiful beach resort in a quiet, little town in Thailand. Indeed it felt special to be together and away from our daily routine but, it didn't quite feel like my 'birthday' or as though I've come anew.
I like spending my birthday in quiet self reflection & doing things that nourish me. So, I booked myself a massage at a spa that I'd passed by on a walk the previous evening. They had beds on the beach under a cabana on a deck that overlooked the ocean. It looked enticing and seemed like it would be an exquisite & relaxing experience.
I arrived 10 minutes early for my massage appointment and the lady asked me to wait at the reception. I sat there taking in all the sights, sounds and smells. I imagined it would be quiet but the masseuses were chatting with each other non-stop in Thai.
Soon, a man walked up the path and to the front desk. He was elderly and walked with a stick but he was dressed in his floral shirt, loose trousers, wore sandals and carried an embroidered satchel on his shoulder. He started chatting up the ladies at the front desk and they giggled away as I patiently waited my turn. As an introvert, I was already glad that I didn't speak the language so I could avoid these interactions. I know that sounds cold & distant but, truthfully I wanted to be left alone with my thoughts and quietly get my massage while listening to the sound of the sea. But of course, as quickly as that thought crossed my mind, the old man came up to me.
As he approached, I shifted in my seat uneasily. "Your country, where you come from?" , he asked curiously. "I come from India", I replied with a slight smile. Suddenly and surprisingly, a wave of warmth washed over me as he smiled back; a smile that was not just on his face but it shone through his deep, dark and wrinkly eyes which lit up and made his nose crinkle. It just made me so happy, that I found myself smiling from ear to ear.
He continued chatting with me in his broken English about how he likes India. Then, he took his phone out of his satchel & went on to show me a music video of ethnic people dancing and singing in their native language. Now, I didn't understand the language and couldn't recognise the exact race of the people in the video. It appeared to be something from Nepal, or perhaps from one of the North East states of India that I couldn't recognise. The old man was excited to show me the video because he thought it was from my motherland and he was disappointed to hear that I wasn't sure and that I couldn't recognise the language or the people. He went on to insist that it was from India while I tried to convince him in my own way that I wasn't too sure it was. Eventually, he let it be and said endearingly, "Issokay, you from India, India very beautiful, music nice, people very nice, you nice, today good!". We then said our goodbyes and he was on his way, hobbling away to his next stop for another conversation with another passerby.
It suddenly dawned on me how an interaction that I was dreading was so beautiful and that our language was not a barrier in our conversation. It left me with a sense of wonder of how much more there is to know about the country I come from and yet, here I was in a foreign land knowing as much or as little as this native old man who had never been outside of his little town. He had an aura of wisdom and contentment that left me in awe.
The more I think about this interaction, the more I feel like he was some kind of messenger sent to me on my birthday - the master teacher or uplifter. In him I could see a youthful spirit, an eagerness for connection, warmth, curiosity & so much more. The key take away from this interaction for me is that life is as good or as enriching as we make it out to be; the magic truly is in the here & now. As we move through life, no matter how far we go, how slowly we move, or how able we are, warmth and joy/Santosha come from within us and multiply when shared. I might not become an extrovert but it has certainly opened up my mind on how to interact with myself and the world around me - to find the extraordinary in the ordinary.
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