Thirty+ and Wiser

Today I turned thirty. Looking back it’s hard to believe. Twenty seemed like such a small milestone, but thirty seems like such a large one.

I am happy to now be out of my twenties and instantly see the insecurities and struggles of shaping my identity vanish into a perfectly self-confident, mature thirty-something with a life plan and clear direction. Alas, that might not be the case just yet, but, in the past few years, something has felt entirely different. The subtleties of life have taken on more importance, and I have begun to appreciate nuance to a much greater extent. Early on in my twenties, I hated the idea of boredom. I always had to be doing something. Now, at thirty, as life becomes more complex each year, I cherish the idea of getting to do absolutely nothing. Ironically, this is how I am choosing to spend most of my birthday. Relaxing, reflecting, and just enjoying the gift of life itself.

This year is going to be full of changes. I recently decided that I was going to end my career in product management and pursue medicine instead. Part of that has required spending days and days of my life writing about various aspects of myself, my aspirations, and my desire to become a doctor. Through that emotionally taxing and almost comically frustrating process, I have been reminded both how difficult and powerful the process of writing can be. This has inspired me to start trying to make a regular habit of writing and sharing my ideas. Since my interests are all over the place, I expect some of these posts to be musing and pondering about meaning and purpose while others might just be detailed descriptions of the latest project or idea I am pursuing.

Ultimately, this post is not meant to be a coherent presentation of distilled wisdom, but more the ramblings of someone who has just turned a year older and is looking for an excuse to pursue one more hobby.