My Nuts & Bolts & WD-40

At the young age of 71+, I find myself standing at a meaningful crossroad. One that has led me back to my long-mothballed drawing board to craft a fresh life's toolkit for the journey ahead. This is not a one-time exercise, but an ongoing, evolving endeavor. My toolkit will never be a finished product; it will shift and expand as my body, mind, and circumstances continue their inevitable dance with change. It will mirror my personal ecosystem my weathered DNA, the sum of my experiences, my highs and lows, the agility of my faculties, and the quiet realities of age.

I am convinced that this toolkit, a living and breathing companion, will guide me through the ever-changing phases that lie ahead. It will serve as my new North Star and inner moral compass helping me come to terms with my evolving self, my shifting priorities, and the truths that time asks all of us to accept with grace. This is not surrender; it is re-calibration. A deliberate way to draw the best from the years before me and to honour the journey I continue to share with my constant, dearest lifetime companion my wife Meeta, my family, friends and the one most cherished by me now with the arrival of my granddaughter Samaara two years ago.

This toolkit is not filled with spanners and screwdrivers, but with patience, acceptance, curiosity, resilience, and kindness for myself and for those I cherish. It includes the courage to face both the familiar and the unforeseen. In nurturing these qualities, I hope to build not only a framework to carry me through the coming years one year, one season at a time but also a gentle reminder that even now, I can learn, adapt, thrive, and grow as a human being.

One truth remains unwavering: learning, reflection, and the pursuit of understanding have never ceased for me. They are the Big Ben of my faculties ticking steadily, reliably, every hour of every day.

I am certain that many who have reached their own quiet crossroads have, in their own way, have paused to reflect and assembled whatever inner toolkit serves them best for the beautiful, exciting years that still await them.

Peace and God bless. ✍🏾🙏🏽