{"id":150,"date":"2010-06-02T23:42:00","date_gmt":"2010-06-02T23:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2010\/06\/the-turning-30-birthday-blog-post\/"},"modified":"2010-06-02T23:42:00","modified_gmt":"2010-06-02T23:42:00","slug":"the-turning-30-birthday-blog-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2010\/06\/the-turning-30-birthday-blog-post.html","title":{"rendered":"The Turning 30 Birthday Blog Post"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

What can I say? I\u2019m 30. I don\u2019t feel a day over 27 and I\u2019m no wiser than I was at 25. Maybe it will sink in over the next few days. Maybe I\u2019ve gained great wisdom, but equal parts humility, so it all balances out. Maybe I\u2019m getting more and more full of it with each passing year and decade.\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n


<\/span> As my friend Kristen wrote just weeks ago while reflecting on her 30th<\/a>: \u201cI\u2019m writing and reflecting. Party!!!\u201d I\u2019ll second that. \u00a0For me it\u2019s Bhikkhu Bodhi, the Satipa\u1e6d\u1e6dh\u0101na Sutta, soon a 5 mile run in the rain, and then a nice dinner with Julie. But first some annoying(ly cute) childhood photos.<\/span>
<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Me, fat and cheerful at age 0, back when I was truly in touch with my Buddha-Nature.<\/div>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n
Me with my brother and sister, around age 1, signs of philosophical brooding and confusion beginning to set in.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Age 2, apparently happy again.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
I\u2019m not really feeling in the mood for a drawn-out\u00a0retrospective\u00a0at the moment. My 20s were incredibly good to me, so I have no complaints. Like Kristen, I have mostly gratitude<\/a> for what life has dealt me thus far. I hope in this decade I can do more to help people, be a bit kinder and more patient, and continue to cultivate aesthetic and intellectual capacities. \u00a0Much of my 20s were spent in grad school, so hopefully that can come to a swift and fruitful close and a good job will come my way, much to my family\u2019s delight.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
That\u2019s about it, I suppose. No grand resolutions or windfall realizations. I\u2019ve found these to be of little value in the great scheme of things. No, for me it\u2019s just slow and steady along the path. Working hard, setting the conditions for good returns, and repeating.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
But, as long as we\u2019re mentioning gratitude, I should give thanks to my family, to Julie, to many, many friends near and far, and you, dear readers, who\u2019ve helped, supported, or simply been there<\/i>\u00a0when needed. It\u2019s a wonderful life; and it\u2019s more wonderful still to share it with all of you.\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Now for that run.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\"\"<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What can I say? I\u2019m 30. I don\u2019t feel a day over 27 and I\u2019m no wiser than I was at 25. Maybe it will sink in over the next few days. Maybe I\u2019ve gained great wisdom, but equal parts humility, so it all balances out. Maybe I\u2019m getting more and more full of it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Turning 30 Birthday Blog Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What can I say? I'm 30. I don't feel a day over 27 and I'm no wiser than I was at 25. Maybe it will sink in over the next few days. 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