Reinvention

As I get older, I have become the person I was always meant to be. When I look into the mirror in the morning, I am secretly wishing I was young again. My curly long hair has disappeared. My young looks have faded into nothingness. Our relevance to society reduces as we age.

Yet within my brotherhood, I find friendships in the most unlikely places. We are no longer rivals — we nourish each other. We lean on each other. We share openly, our anxieties, and experiences. Perspective puts a different lens to help to be open.

I learned to breathe through the pain of my separations. It eased the anxiety and the uncertainty. Taking one day at a time helped me to step into the next moment. Life took care of itself, moment by moment. I moved on.

These dynamic changes propelled me to take a quantum leap, leaving a lifelong industry and moving to a new undiscovered industry. I got into a job that I had not done before. I reinvented myself, learning the ropes of content design, and bringing my curiosity to another level. I moved away from my comfort zone. I met a whole set of creative designers.

Now, I live the best life, running a creative practice, and managing an awesome team.

When Covid hit, more than two years ago, I changed again. I and my team started working from home. With the change of lifestyle, I evolved. I did my team meetings and 1:1s walking in my beautifully landscaped neighbourhood. I walked 12 kilometres a day on average, thanks to my Apple watch. I saw an exercise physiologist and worked out every alternate day. I lost 3 kgs of my weight, which is 5% of my body weight. I changed my diet and learned to cook new varieties of food. I adopted wearing casual clothes, moving away from the office attire. I upgraded my tech gear, from my Apple devices to the sound system.

I befriended my neighbours and play table tennis with them on weekends, often beating a bunch of young thirty-something men. I learnt about human trafficking in Africa, by watching a myriad of challenging movies on streaming services. I learned to draw on my iPad and rediscovered my love for artwork.

I started writing on medium and I am pursuing it rigorously as a daily habit. It is therapeutic and self-soothing. I love it.

These gifts of self-contentment were the best gifts of Covid-induced change of lifestyle. It looks like my stars aligned for me.

I imagine myself when I can travel again to various corners of the world and meet my brother and old friends I grew up with. I imagine myself doing volunteer work in Sri Lanka, in the education field or social sciences, encouraging creativity and reinvention.

I imagine myself, waiting impatiently until my grandkids become teenagers, to walk with them, and share the joys of creativity and my own stories of reinvention.

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