Today, I turn 37. Surprising that some still get surprised to know what my real age is. Just a week ago, at a company event, a direct report in his late twenties was gob-smacked to find out I was much older than he thought. All this time, he was thinking that we were of the same age.

Most of my age and older would beam at this complement but each time I do, I still get mixed feelings – flattered that most would look at me and think that I’m still quite young and somehow a bit held back as there has been a considerable part of my life where I was dismissed as being too young and inexperienced to take on certain challenges.

Just this morning, as I was going through the birthday greetings, I got another one exactly like this, saying that it seems that I am ageless. This brings to mind an interesting thought that has had a profound impact on my way of thinking: that immortality if it were possible, had one painful downside, you remain ageless while the world change and the people close to you pass on, leaving you alone.

This is why the song Iris by the Goo goo dolls has become my all-time favorite song:

And I’d give up forever to touch you
‘Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You’re the closest to heaven that I’ll ever be
And I don’t want to go home right now

Going back to reality, I am both happy and dreadful to admit that time has indeed caught up to me. In the last couple of months, there have been many nights of worrying about my health and fearing the worse, not that I fear death itself but rather the thought of passing on without leaving something behind for my family, friends, and country.

On the other hand, that fear and worry have been somewhat positive as it has pushed me to make conscious choices about my lifestyle, and the things and causes I devote my time and energies to. Knowing that time is steadily running away from me has renewed the drive to do more and be more.

It may all sound a bit somber but I assure you that there’s a sense of purpose, happiness, and drive burning within me as I write this.

This is why I raise my glass to life, family, and friends and raise higher my fist to goals, dreams, and causes far larger than my own. Hopefully, starting today and until my last, I am able to make each one count.