I turned thirty years old today. I was grateful to be showered with attention by loved ones. I ate Korean food for lunch and dinner, a rare treat. I felt lucky and very fortunate about many things. Before I forget, I want to jot down a few things I hope for in the years ahead.

• Being a better son and brother
  My parents (and grandmother) live in Atlanta, and I see them no more than once or twice a year. The older I get, the more I appreciate how much they’ve always cared about me and wanted the best for me. As busy as my life may feel sometimes, I should remind myself that nothing is so important that I can’t give them a call from time to time or take a visit down to Atlanta. As for my sister, who’s been in Korea since 2008, she wrote me a very touching email today about how she misses me and how we’ve always had an estranged relationship. It’s unfortunate that the person who most looks like me in the world and shares the same parents as I do is someone I rarely talk to or really think about. I hope this is something that can change, and I hope we’ll get to see each other more in the future.
• Gaining depth
  I’ve always felt like someone who knows just enough to get by in a number of areas but not quite enough to be an expert. In other words, I often feel like a jack of trades, master of none. I would like to find a few areas to approach with rigor and establish a foundation of knowledge to confidently write about and teach others.
• Having more patience
  Patience means many things to me. It means listening and reflecting first before reacting or passing judgment. It also means maintaining focus and not letting distractions unsettle me. And patience is understanding that bad situations and unfortunate events come and go, that some things just can’t be controlled. I hope that as I age, my supply of patience is something that will increase and that I can be a source of calm and comfort to others. Whether as a mentor, an employer, a husband, or a father, I know that having patience will serve me very well.

I know that I will, at times, continue to be an insensitive son and brother, a dabbler in many different fields, and an impatient human being. My hope is that I will continue to reflect on these things and consciously make the effort, little by little, to instill habits that will result in improvements throughout my thirties and beyond.