Happy Dussehra- and happy birthday as well.

Today is Dussehra 2008- the celebration of Ram's victory over Ravan- symbolic of good defeating evil. So happy Dussehra everyone- I hope your year is prosperous and happy.

Today also happens to be a landmark birthday for me- I am thirty today. Strangely, I don't feel much older than when I turned 6- or any birthdays in between. Certainly I can express myself much better, but I am not certain if I feel the level of seriousness I always expected I would when I reached such a benevolent age :)

So what has really changed? Through my teens I struggled through self-doubt and lack of confidence, and searched for an identity. From a mixed-religious background, this was especially important for me, and was a journey worth taking. In my 20s, I grew stronger, and gained some sense of who I was, inner strength and discovered my desires. In my 30s, I hope to gain self-actualization and set more concrete goals for myself.

I like being 30- the insecurities of my 20s have disappeared, and I find myself an unapologetically strong person welcoming life. I feel fulfilled, energized and in happy anticipation of the future. I love my friends and my loved ones. I want more big bites of life and see where I will be in the next 10 years- when I hit 40 (yay!). And that in itself is a heck of a birthday gift, thank the Lord.