Dear Me,
Aren’t you happy getting a love letter? Let me first begin by wishing you a very Happy 40th birthday. I know that age is just a number and the thought of being over the hill has crossed your mind a few times :). Ah well, but you know what, I know you wouldn’t trade a single experience in your life to be younger again. You are comfortable, secure and happy with the choices you’ve made these last years. I know your conscience rests easy. I know you are happy with the life you’ve lived, the dreams you’ve realized, the love you’ve shared and the happiness you’ve created and been a part of.
From that rugged birthmark on your thumb to your knobbly fingers, I love every bit of you. Do you remember how much you laughed and then cried while you were watching the baby videos of your sons despite not being a person who tears up easily? You love deeply and passionately. You do get mad when rubbed the wrong way, but well you are human. You set high standards for your own self. From supporting a cause to protecting an animal, you do what your heart tells you is correct.
What I admire most about you is how you bend over backwards for what you truly believe in. You reach out to people, checking on them, truly caring for their wellbeing. You will stay up late to help someone in need. Hey, you will sometimes protect the kiddos from daddy’s ire and vice versa :). You love a good conversation and can be preachy as well (the family will concur!). But, then you have never felt apologetic for your values or morals.
I love how you have acquired so many fascinating dimensions over the years. From an impulsive, opinionated, academic girl to a confident, well-read, empathetic woman, you’ve come a long way. You are calmer, open to knowledge and change and that keeps you evolving as a person. Always stay this way.
You’ve lived life on your own terms. A lot of it was because of this great stroke of luck as you were blessed with amazing parents who helped you fly. It is not to say that you did not suffer hardships while growing up. Nevertheless, you made the best of the freedom, values and the opportunities that came your way. Losing your mother was very hard on you. I know even after so many years, you yearn for her presence. But you’ve remembered to keep her ideals and passions alive. For you, family is paramount.
You have chosen well when you found a life partner. Through you, I’ve noticed that there is a “leap of faith” that one has to take when one gets into a committed relationship. And you’ve done that with complete honesty. You work hard at your relationships trusting the people behind them, accepting their flaws and working on your own because you need that and they need that. You are no saint, but you have tried to be good and right.
You have also worked hard to respect and cherish your body. The same body that made you breeze through two pregnancies and allowed you to bounce back into shape. You are today happy with the few wrinkles, a little extra flab and some dark circles because you recognize how special and valuable a healthy body is. Moreover, you bestow upon it the love it deserves.
You are scared, almost petrified of disease. Having seen a lot of it around you in your early years, you are sometimes paranoid about staying healthy. You try to tone that down by meditating and doing Yoga. I love that you introspect from time to time being as unbiased as possible about your own self. It helps you stay real.
You have cultivated your interests. You’ve never hesitated in speaking your mind. You give it your all to raise wonderful children and be a good decent human being.
Yes, you are wonderful. Always remember that!
My wish for you is to stay healthy, happy and continue to live your life mindfully.
With loads of love,
Rachna
Brilliant ! Love the way you love yourself 🙂 Left me wondering if I will ever be able to talk to myself aloud….I must give it a try. A good read on a beautiful Sunday morning Rachna.Enjoy your special day and stay blessed always!
Thanks, Sharmila. Yep, it took some effort to pen myself a letter. I want to keep coming back to it when I feel down. You must give it a try. It feels good. Glad you read it and liked it. Thanks always for your warmth and love.
Happy Happy Birthday Rachna. Keep shining, Keep sparkling !
Thank you, dear girl.
A very happy birthday to you Rachna! Loved that you are so happy and proud of who you are today, and I know that you will only get better as the years go by! Cheers ♥
Thanks a lot, Shilpa, for your warm and comforting words and presence. <3
Lovely post. Stay, healthy and happy spreading warmth around and get younger every year.
Regards
Sunil
Thanks so much, Sunil! Give my regards to Reena and the kids.
Happy Birthday, Rachna!
Only a person who loves herself/himself can love others.
Great post!
Thanks, Pro. Well said!
Happy wala budday, Rachna. 40 is the new 18. Be inspirational as you are and stay beautiful. Such a beautiful post that makes the budday special:)
Thanks so much, Vishal. Haye, I don’t want to be 18 again. 😉
We all need this reaffirmation every time. Love the way you love yourself. Cherish and honour yourself for the years to come, Rachna. Live life queen size.
I agree, Janu. Thanks for all the lovely words here and otherwise.
Absolutely loved the theme of this post. Yes, being nice to oneself, loving oneself and taking care of oneself is really very important. Only if we are happy and at peace with ourselves can we make our environments lovable.
And more important than that is to be content for the time spent by with as few regrets as possible.
Happy Birthday 🙂 Here’s wishing you very many more.
Thanks so much, Ashwini. Yes, I believe that self-investment does reap rich dividends.
That was a lovely post Rachna! May you earn many more accolades as you add years:)
Thanks, Rahul. Appreciate your wishes.
A very happy 40th birthday again Rachna 🙂 This was such a honest letter and something that is so you….Wish you a great life ahead!
Thanks, Naba, for the lovely wishes. 🙂
Happy Birthday Rachna 🙂
Thanks, Deepika!
Rachna! Happy birthday to you, may you have many more and stay blessed!
You are a wonderful person and there are a few things I would like to add to your letter – you are a good writer and a person with a good heart. How do I know? I know you only through your writing and there is a certain honesty in it that makes you endearing. Wishing you many, many, more happy, healthy and peaceful birthdays with your wonderful family. 🙂
I have been really busy with my wedding preps, studies and job and I have missed out on a lot on your space. I’ll chun chun ke catch up once I am free. Happy birthday once again Rachna. Beautiful letter to the self! 🙂
Every time you leave a comment, I am thrilled, DC. Thank you for your warm and encouraging presence and for your thoughtful and lovely words. I do cherish them. I am glad to have found you in the blog world. Some day, we will meet too. Wish you all the best for your wedding and your life. I’ll look forward to chun chun ke bit. 😉
This was a fantastic post for your special birthday! Hope you had a great day, celebrating the entry into the club of “wise ones”. Or is it the “naughty ones”? 🙂 Same difference, I suppose! Here is wishing you a happy, healthy and long life, dear Rachna. Keep spreading love and happiness around.
I hope a mixture of both, Beloo. 😉 Thanks for the beautiful wishes and for your thoughtful insights.
Mwah, baby! I am glad I read this post. You everything that you’ve mentioned in this post. I shall always remember how you reached out to me and have always cared for my well-being, even though we’ve yet to meet.
You, my dear are a superstar!
I hope we will now that I’m back in Swadesh 🙂
It makes me all warm and fuzzy after reading your comment, Purba. Thanks always for your warmth and love. I feel blessed! I look forward to meeting you as well, hopefully soon.
It’s true that you are wonderful, and it is a really good thing to get such love letter 🙂 I too wish that you should stay healthy, happy and continue to live the life the way you are doing so far 🙂
Thanks so much, Alok. 🙂
Happy birthday.
Before one starts to love others,it is important for one to love oneself
Thanks, Chowlaji. You are absolutely right.
A very happy bday to you Rachna 🙂
Stay happy, loving, caring and beautiful from inside always !! ((Hugs))
Thanks so much, Uma, for all the lovely wishes. Hugs back!
What a lovely letter. You sound like me in many ways. We celebrated your 40th in Delhi and believe me, you were present in spirit. Health and happiness always!
Thanks so much, Alka. It is no wonder that I have always felt a close connect with you. Yes, we are alike in so many ways. And I am glad that it is so. You people were having so much fun. I wish I could have been there as well. Thanks for your warmth and love always.
Once again wishing you on this milestone birthday. I really loved the contents of the letter. It definitely is important to love yourself and keep yourself healthy and happy. The reasons are visible through the smiles of your loved ones. Beautiful present you chose for yourself Rachna! 🙂
Thank you, Rekha. 🙂 I wanted to really sit down and write the things I like about myself. It will be a letter I will keep coming back to.
Very eloquent piece for a very talented gal :),written beautifully.It is a lesson for me to remember my good points.
My wish for you is the same one, as your own.
Thanks so much, Indu. Appreciation from you always elates me.
A beautiful and honest letter to yourself – what better a birthday present can one ask for? Hope you had a brilliant one, Rachna. And yes, please remain the same. You are a good friend and an honest and lovely person.
Thank you, Sid! Yes, the birthday was beautiful. I completely loved all the love that poured on me. 🙂 Thank your for your beautiful words both here and in the message. I will remember them and cherish them. Thanks again.
I have read this that day itself, but you know I don’t comment from cell. And later totally forgot about it. I remembered suddenly and came back here 🙂 A wonderful self tribute. I like how confident you are about yourself always. May you celebrate many more happy, healthy birthdays in the years to come. Thank you for being there, all the time.
Thanks a lot, Latha. You are very special to me.
Nice one.
Thanks. 🙂
And yeah, belated birtdhay greetings. Forgot to wish you on b’day due to erratic schedule.
I understand completely. Thanks a lot!
Belated Birthday wishes Rachna and you know WHY they are belated 🙂 The starting point to loving the world IS loving your own self 🙂
Thanks, Suresh. I agree. 🙂
For some reason I always thought I’m at least a few years older than you – so young looking you are! 🙂 What’s also funny is that I was in the process of writing something similar for my blog. But I really love the format you’ve chosen! Very fresh! As for your personality… you already know I feel lucky to have you as a friend 🙂
Such a sweet thing to say about the age bit. I’ve heard the same compliment from others and to tell you the truth it gives me a kick. 😉 I would love to read a similar letter addressed to yourself. I guess when one actually sits down and analyses oneself as a third person, it is a good accomplishment. I always love having you as a friend, Ili!
That’s a beautiful post Rachna !! Something we all need to do – a letter waiting to be written because we value ourselves so little and who best to remind us of our being ‘special’ than we ourselves !
Wishing you many more glorious remembrances as you look at back at your life with the same kind of love and smiles !
Thanks so much, Asha. It may seem looney to some but I enjoyed writing a love letter to me. 🙂
Wish you a Happy Belated Birthday! Wonderful post, I am glad that I am not the only one who feels the need to love oneself.
Thanks Yamini!
What a great way to acknowledge a milestone birthday! And after reading this, I can safely say that you are now officially the happiest person to have just hit the big 4-O! Most of us were weeping when we hit ours!
Thanks, Rickie! Yeah, I am a little crazy, as you must have found out by now. 😉
Hi Rachna
Wish you a happy 40th happy birthday ( Look at the plus side, I wished you too early for the 41st haha)
Anyways- Age is just a number and no this is not told to make you feel better- This is the truth of life that life is to be enjoyed- Age No Bar- I am sure 10 years down the life you will want t punch the 40 year old rachna in the face for calling yourself ‘Over the Hill’
I turned 36 this year and was crying and depressed for 1 week ( I don’t mind ageing at all, it is the fear of treatment I will get from society, the aunty taunts from adults etc that scared me). That is when my dad told me’ It is better to have a birthday than not be around for that’ Then I realized, what the heck- Atleast I am lucky to be around at 36 , It is the perspective that matters.
Live life to the fullest , enjoy it as much as it can- I suppose that these things like age are NOT in our hands , so there is no use worrying about it. All we can do is be happy and ALWAYS ( always and forever ) say NICE things to people .
Maybe I am old ( or older) , but my spirit and attitude is still young and I want to spread joy and happiness to everyone whatever years I have left on this planet.
Again- wishing you a happy birthday- Have a blast, continue to write awesome blogs, people like you are needed – we know that there is someone who thinks like us.i pray to God you live tll 100 🙂 ( with all the success and happiness and comforts)
Thank you, Harsha. 🙂 Oh I am in a wonderful space, didn’t feel the pinch at all of turning 40. Like I mentioned in the post, I treasure each experience that has populated this time on earth. Thank you for all the warm wishes.
Wish you a very happy belated happy birthday Rachna. They say people gets naughty at forty. But your letter almost filled me with pride, passion and confidence as a women, mother, wife and daughter.
Loved reading it.
Thank you so much, Shweta. Made me feel very happy. Thanks for the wishes too.