Birthday Reflection: 28 Reasons Why I'm Lucky As I Turn 28 - Part 1

Saying the number “twenty-eight” kind of hit me today. I’m 28 years old. That number seems immensely greater than any other number that has been associated with my age before. For most of these 28 years of my life, I like most other people have spent my time either: A) doing what my parents told me to do, B) getting an education so I can earn money, or C) doing what I think is fun (why I celebrated my 20th birthday at Chucke Cheese’s… see below). Well, A and B have been becoming a smaller part of my life over the last couple of years, but C is definitely still a huge motivator and will continue to be for the rest of my life.

It’s easy to take things for granted, but I try hard not to. One of the things I appreciate the most in my life is how much fun I have experienced already, and the type of fun it has been. I appreciate the fact that I have been taught and conditioned to desire fun “experiences” over “things” and feel lucky to have enough resources (time and money) to do all of this fun stuff.

Staying true to my reflective nature – I sat down this week and compiled a list of 28 things that I’m grateful for or that I feel lucky to have experienced in my 28 years of this life. Here they are in some particular order (let me know if you figure out what that order is):

I’m alive. I think it’s safe to say that the rest of this list wouldn’t be possible without this so it’s a good place to start. I also know that some people aren’t very happy to be alive – just last week an entire highway was jammed up because one such person climbed to the edge of an I-355 overpass that crosses I-88 (Chicago-area) because they wanted out. Thankfully they didn’t jump, but you get my point.
I have 2 loving parents who dedicated a lot of their lives, working very hard to give me more than they ever had. Let’s face it, my parents work because they need money to survive and do what they want outside of work – they didn’t come here thinking “yeah I want to be behind a computer or at a hospital for 8+ hours of my life every day,” but they did it (and continue to do it) so we could go after what we enjoy (all while successfully managing a household, sheltering us from negative things, teaching us about our culture & religion, taking us all over the country and India, etc. etc.)… which brings me to my next point:
I am earning a living doing something I enjoy. The path to this job wasn’t straight and smooth, but I have no right to complain. With the help of a few unplanned career moves (ok fine they were a little planned) and some good books, magazines and webinars I am now a “marketer” and loving it.
I am married to a wonderful girl who has left her home to join mine with my parents – to some people (said: traditional brown people) this is expected, to others (said: everyone else) this is mind-boggling… understandably so. This act and who she is as a person is a reflection on her and her parents and how much of their lives they put into raising her well too. I am lucky to have found her and that she was still single at that time. Bhumi’s roommate when I asked her what she thought about me asking Bhumi out: “Well I’m not sure how she feels… but she will be nice if she doesn’t feel the same way – she is the little heart-breaker though.”
I have a younger [who thinks he’s the older] brother who will argue with me about everything possible. He keeps me on my toes because he expects a lot out of me and I of him.
I now have another younger sister who “lets” me give her advice (people like being asked for advice – and now that I’m all old and wise and…umm yeah).
I have grown up in two different languages and cultures. Just a few weeks ago my boss asked me: “Why are you playing carols (audible throughout the office), you don’t celebrate Christmas do you?” That’s the beauty of it… I have been raised to know my background and embrace everything else. I really do get in a cheery mood when the holidays come around and there’s Christmas music playing because I have fun and happy memories of these times in my childhood in the same way that garba music brings back memories of Navratri. Both cultures are a part of who I am.
My grandparents had a lot of children so I have a large family with lots of uncles and aunts. I have had the chance to live with my grandparents from my mom’s side when I was younger and spend a lot of time with family. I feel lucky to have a large family and to have joined another large family through marriage.
I have a huge group of cousins who have shared in many of my life’s fun experiences. I didn’t know some of them even existed until half-way through my [now very long] life. I even have several cousins in my life who I grew up calling “cousins” without knowing that we weren’t related by blood. I have spent a lot of time with my cousins and family – there’s always something going on, some occasion to celebrate so the fun times keep on coming.
I was born in Chicago and grew up in the Michael Jordan era, and now we have DROSE. Basketball has always been my favorite sport and all the way through college I would play a few times a week – and MJ and the Bulls definitely get some credit for that love. Despite being vertically challenged, my birth location still gave me basketball.
I was forced to learn raas from my father (who never dances now) and garba from my mom which eventually brought me to the stage on the Illini Raas Team and we just happen to win two competitions the year I was on the team (no I’m not implying anything by that heh). Unforgettable experience with great memories.
my “moment” in our routine
Growing up with Swadhyaya with exposure to Chinmaya Mission and OHSO (and a multitude of other positive resources) – good thoughts and people who are striving to be better have always been a part of my life. Most of the peer pressure I’ve dealt with has been positive. I know I’m ridiculously lucky to have that. A positive environment with positive thoughts via books, videos and discussions and a positive group (friends and family) is one of the most valuable things that I have in life.
I grew up making greeting cards with paper and crayons for every single family member and friends. The process of making and sending my friends and family greeting cards has more than anything made me more reflective of my relationships and my experiences with people. Everyone brings something different, and I’ve learned to appreciate those things.
I’ve had the opportunity to learn several instruments including the flute (concert band), “piano,” tablas (for a month in India) and dhol. If the “steering wheel” counts as an instrument (ask Bhumi how good I am at this) then add that to the list too. Music is <insert whatever you want and you’ll be right>. If you’ve never played anything before you probably know you’re missing out, but it’s not too late (that’s me talking to myself). I quit flute for the wrong reasons and I kind of wish I hadn’t (self-confidence), but at least I still have the dhol.