Go through all stages of your life and live them to the full

Last weekend, a friend and I decided to wind down after a hard week’s work somewhere in Westlands. And when I say ‘wind down’, I urge you not to imagine your kind of winding down, you know, something elaborate and over the top that will be worth talking about days later. You will see why.

We got there a few minutes to 7pm and automatically headed to a quiet non-happening corner where the music would not burst our ear drums. It would later occur to me that a decade ago, I would have made a beeline to the most crowded section, completely unbothered by the ear-splitting ‘noise’ masquerading as music, spewing forth from the humongous speakers.

At some point, like happens in all bars, the music volume was cranked up, and I remember my friend and I screwing up our faces as if on cue, in irritation. Pray, why couldn’t they keep it down?

Anyway, by 10pm, we were already exhausted and bored, (but mostly exhausted), and were more than ready to take our creaking bones to bed, if anything, it was past our bed time.

We paid the bill and gratefully made our way out. Only to be met by an amazing sight, a sight that popped our mouths open and momentarily stopped us in our tracks. There were two snaking queues of young people waiting to be searched before being allowed into the club. The queues were so long, they spilled to the road. 

While our day had come to an end, the day had just begun for the energetic 20-somethings just checking in, and would probably go into the wee hours of the morning. It is at that point that I was reminded, once again, that I am no spring chicken.

Party animal

Nowadays, I sample my nightlife (if you could even call it that), like the way you would medicine, in small careful doses because an overdose would probably leave me bedridden or even kill me.

That incident also reminded me why it is important to go through all the stages of life, not only that, but to live them to the full too, doing what you must do at that time, otherwise you will find yourself living a life you should have done away with decades ago, and struggling in the process. 

A colleague who tells me she was a thorough party animal in her twenties, (she’s in her 40s now) tells me that today her idea of winding down is taking a nap. She rarely goes out, and if 4pm finds her at home, nothing, save the rapture, would convince her to get out the door.

This yet many years ago, she and a couple of friends made an impromptu decision on a Friday evening after work to board a bus to Mombasa from Nairobi to “party” there. All they had were the clothes they wore that morning to work, and their handbags and wallets. When they arrived the following day, they hopped from one entertainment joint to another, boarding a bus back to Nairobi on Sunday afternoon. And they still made it to work come Monday.

She recalled that incident with incredulity, shuddering at the thought of doing something as crazy at this stage in her life. To begin with, where would the energy come from? She concluded. Yes, go through all the stages of your life and live them to the full.

The writer is editor, Society & Magazines, Daily Nation. Email: cnjunge@ ke.nationmedia.com