Happy Birthday to me, and happy half birthday to my girls.
A house full of love :)
Here’s a fun thing about our family. Tara and Tashi share their half birthdays with my birthday.
So, we get to celebrate twice a year.
Not the full-blown cake-and-candles type. But a pause. A checkpoint.
A moment to look back and ask, “How’s the year going? Where did I want to be? Where am I actually?”
I think half birthdays are underrated. A full year is too long to wait before you reflect.
Today was one of those days where everything just fell into place.
I played tennis. I spoke to the people who matter.
I spent the evening with the ones closest to me. And they surprised me..by asking me questions about my own surprise 🤪.
But the best part? Tara and Tashi made me a card.
They painted it themselves and presented it to me like it was the most important thing in the world. Because to them, it was.
Then they read me stories. In their own way. From their own books. Three-year-olds reading stories to their dad on his birthday.
And my return gift to them? Extra stories at bedtime.
That’s the currency in our house. Not chocolates, not toys. Stories.
They asked for more, I said yes to all of them. Because what better way to celebrate your birthday than giving back to the two people who made it the best one yet?
Actually, there were three. Without Pankhuri, nothing that I call Life today, exists.
Not in a filmy, dramatic way. In the most real, everyday, unglamorous way possible. She makes the simplest of experiences memorable because it’s not about the experience but the heart that you put into it. And she puts her whole heart into everything she does.
She's the heart of the Life of PI Square. Tara and Tashi are who they are because of her patience, her belief, her refusal to take shortcuts. And I am who I am because she never lets me settle for less than what we could become together. This birthday, this life, this family. It all starts with her.
Oh, and the cake cutting?
Well…why don’t you see it for yourself
Sometimes the unscripted moments are the ones you remember forever.
Tara and Tashi also spoke about me. And with Pankhuri’s commentary, it became hilarious.
We had cake. We celebrated. And it hit me.
This is what birthdays are actually for. Not the restaurant bookings or the Instagram posts (ironic, I know).
Birthdays exist so you can pause and feel. Feel happy. Feel grateful. Feel the weight of another year lift off your shoulders, not pile on.
But here’s what I’ve been thinking about lately.
Every birthday is also a deadline you set for yourself without realizing it. You either look back and say “that was a good year” or you look back and wonder where it went.
And if it’s the second one, that’s okay. But only if you do something about it.
Break the pattern. Whatever isn’t working, tear it down.
Not tomorrow. Not next Monday. Now.
The foundations you built last year that are cracking under pressure, don’t keep plastering over them. Rip them out. Pour new ones. Build something that can actually hold the life you want.
Because the best gift you can give yourself on your birthday isn’t a watch or a dinner. It’s the decision that next year, when this day comes around again, you’ll be standing somewhere different. Somewhere better. Somewhere you chose.
Today I played. I loved. I reflected. I celebrated with tiny humans who think painting a card for papa is the greatest achievement of the week.
And honestly? They’re not wrong.
Happy birthday to me. Here’s to building better foundations.
💬 Let’s Redefine “Smart Parenting”
We’re Pankhuri and Ishan, parents to twin toddlers. At Life of PI Square, we believe parenting is easy when you trust your children and start at the right time.
Want to learn more?
Follow our journey on Instagram @lifeofpisquare and explore our approach to raising confident, independent kids at lifeofpisquare.com