FEELS GOOD TO BE A KID AGAIN

A few days ago, I was chatting with my colleagues over coffee and somehow the discussion drifted towards our age (literally)... Both my colleagues were surprised to learn that I am just 27... Last month, my cricket club team members gave it a shot to calculate the average age of the team and they too were surprised to hear that I was 27... They were also happy that I brought the average age down by a few notches as our team can really qualify to be a Daddy team... (sometimes we also joke that our team's real name is Daddy Cricket Club and not Durham Cricket Club)... This is not the first time that I have seen jaws hang after I mention my age... Even my wife says that I am a 27 yr old who behaves like a 35 yr old...

Well, something happened recently that I can hold as an exhibit against all these dropping jaws (and no, not against my wife... I need a house to stay... I agree with her that I am 35) in the court of Age proving my youth...

As I mentioned in one of my previous blogs (THAT WINNING FEELING), I broke my finger during THAT match... I visited the doctor and he found out that I broke the ring finger on my left hand... He asked me to wear a splint for 6 weeks so that the bones align themselves back into position... He also asked me to come back in 3 weeks for a checkup to monitor the progress in the finger...

The first 3 weeks passed by quickly and before the visit to the doc, I really could not feel any pain or discomfort in the finger and I was hoping that he would allow me to get rid of the splint and that I can get back to my cricket...

But then, when I visited the doc, he just asked me how the finger felt... I replied in the affirmative... he didn't even bother to have a look and just said -- as I quote him -- "Nikhil, even though u feel good, we will keep the splint on your finger for 3 more weeks... bones don't heal so fast in your age... 3 weeks were enough only if u are 10 yr old... u are 27 (yes, with a jaw-dropping WHAT???) and bones don't heal very fast at this age... "

I felt like hitting him (with the non-broken hand of course)... not coz he said I was old... I don't care abt it... but coz he passed the judgment without even peeking at the finger... And I voiced my displeasure... he was stubborn but probably he felt that he was not doing the right thing... And asked me to get an x-ray of the finger with a caveat that this is just to make me feel good...

The x-ray justified my confidence... the bone was right there in place, sitting like a king back in its throne... then he said these words -- as I quote him again -- This is one of the most amazing recoveries I have seen in my entire medical career... your bone has healed like it was never broken... boy, aren't u a ten yr old from inside? U r a kid...

From that time, I am smiling... At least someone is calling me a 10 yr old... Someone agrees that I am a kid... Dropping jaws, its good to laugh at yourself...

And wifey, the doctor is wrong... I agree with you that I am 35... please open the door when I come home today evening...