June 6th

I remember the day I turned 58. That morning it rained hailstones and the wind was so strong it displaced my DSTV dish. I didn’t mind the rain. That morning two realizations hit me; first, I had started getting old, but paradoxically, it was the youngest I had ever felt.

That thought propelled me to run in the rain and bathe in it. My children had called on a video call. As they grew older it became challenging to have all of them in one place even on days as special as my birthdays, however, they all called on a group video call, laughed, and said their wishes. I didn’t have a birthday shoot that year simply because I still looked in the mirror and could not see a difference from the pictures from two years back.

Today I turn 65, and I remember my 58th. I remember the hailstones, the usually dry earth of Auchi all damp and muddy, the bath in the rain, and how enthusiastic I was.

I don’t feel as energetic as I did then but this year was also different. I had stopped dying my hair and let my grays show. My children were with me this time and I had a photoshoot. And I had a different realization this year; I had aged.