Still Me By Rashmi

My sister is four and a half years older than I am.

This fact has been true for our entire lives.

Which makes what happened next even more ridiculous.

When she was approaching what I thought was her fiftieth birthday, I decided she deserved something special.

So, I planned a one week trip to London. My treat!

Flights.

Hotels.

Sightseeing.

Restaurants.

The whole works.

It was to be her big 5-0 celebration.

About a week before we were due to leave, I was sitting with all the travel documents, checking my passport, travel insurance and all the things responsible adults are supposed to check before leaving the country.

For some reason, I started counting on my fingers.

Then I counted again.

Then one more time.

I picked up the phone.

“You’re not fifty.”

“I know,” she replied without missing a beat

A pause.

Then, without the slightest hint of guilt, she added,

“But when someone is giving you such a lovely birthday present, why would I say no?”

And that was that.

No embarrassment.

No apology.

No suggestion that perhaps we should postpone the trip for another year.

We simply carried on.

We celebrated her fiftieth…

…when she was forty-nine.

To this day, I don’t know which of us was more ridiculous.

Me, for getting my own sister’s age wrong.

Or her, for happily accepting an early milestone birthday because London was already booked.

Knowing my sister…

I suspect she’d still argue she made the sensible decision.

The funny thing is that I think there’s a little life lesson hiding in our family confusion.

We spend so much of our lives waiting.

Waiting for the perfect time.

Waiting until work calms down.

Waiting until the children are older.

Waiting until we’re less busy.

Waiting until next year.

Life has taught me that tomorrow isn’t something any of us is promised.

So, celebrate the birthday.

Take the holiday.

Order the dessert.

Wear the good clothes.

Tell people you love them.

Because nobody really knows what next year will bring.

And if you accidentally celebrate a birthday a year early…

Well…..

I can highly recommend London