Please don’t wish me happy birthday when I turn 50

What you need to know:

  • I have my own Amalekites. HIV is the one that comes to people’s mind whenever the name Asunta is mentioned.

  • Like Joshua, I also need some serious victories; otherwise there will be inter-generational consequences.

  • With my time running out, events are likely to overtake me if I don’t do something drastic. 

Recently, I turned 49. More than half my life, 27 years to be precise, I have lived with the HI virus. That tells you that Asunta is headed to half a century years old. This milestone is celebrated and dreaded in equal measure.

I know many people will be quick to wish me happy fiftieth birthday in August next year – please don’t.

As we proclaim in Christian circles, half a century is “not my portion”. I long decided to remain 45 years for the rest of my life. I have been pressing the “PAUSE” button on time until some issues in my life take the form I want.

Commanding time

Reading the Bible, I’m not the first believer to command time to stand still until the desires of my heart come to pass.

Joshua holds the bragging rights. While leading the Israelites to the Promised Land, he and his army encountered the Amalekites.

It was dark, and to win the battle, his soldiers needed light to see their enemy. Joshua badly needed the victory. Anything less would have had serious generational repercussions.  

Joshua did something drastic. He commanded time to stand still, and it obeyed. 

My Amalekites

I have my own Amalekites. HIV is the one that comes to people’s mind whenever the name Asunta is mentioned.

Like Joshua, I also need some serious victories; otherwise there will be inter-generational consequences.

With my time running out, events are likely to overtake me if I don’t do something drastic. 

This is why I want to remain 45. It sounds crazy, I know, but I didn’t get this far being sane. You need to be a little crazy to outlive your death sentence.  

The ever-present mother

For starters, I need to take care of my kids. I want to play with them like a little girl. To be ever-present in their lives. My age mates often tell me I should be preparing for retirement.

“No,” I keep insisting, “I need to work harder to ensure my kids have the best.”

I need to see my children go through good quality schools.

After school, I want to set them good foundations that will guarantee them quality lives. I did not enjoy such benefits.

Still, it is up to me to bequeath them a better future – this is the least this mother can do. I must also ensure that my children get an opportunity to use their God-given talent.

I’m not necessarily preparing them for the job market. I’m looking at, as God told Moses, what’s in their hands. Their “sticks”. That’s what they’ll use to work miracles.

I want my children to soar to heights where they too can leave their mark because they had the space and support to do it.

Another reason I want to remain 45 is so that I can see my grandchildren. Nowadays, it seems as if time is flying. At this rate, I won’t see a single grandchild from Gabriel and Baraka.

Other age-related businesses

Also, when my sons marry, I don’t want to be mistaken for their grandmother. This means that I will also have to be on top of things as far as fashion is concerned.

Besides, I need to remain 45 so that I can go back to school, and travel. I don’t have, in the strictest sense of the term, a bucket list; but I wouldn’t mind seeing the world before I go to see heaven. 

I’m also holding out for a HIV cure. That’s been on my “to-see” list for the past 27 years. I’ve been living for that sweet day. Don’t get it twisted, though. I am not bothered by HIV.

I can do this. But truth is, I came to this world without HIV. Naked, so to speak. It is only fair that I leave as naked as I came.

I hope the researchers working on the cure will up their ante. With my age held constant, I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.

Only after a cure is found can I press time’s “PLAY” button, knowing that my children, grandchildren and future generations will live without fear of HIV.

So, who wants to join this sister’s age-defying club?