And just like that, I slipped over the hill. I rang in my 30s with a couple dozen friends in a subterranean cocktail den in Soho, as befit that particular era in New York. A year later, I would move back across the country for the sake of being closer to my family, hoping that professional and personal breakthroughs also lay in the Golden State. This past decade has been full of triumphs I did not dare to dream of and heartbreaks I did not think I would survive. Right up until the wire, an undulation of success and setback, as constant in their undulation as waves breaking on a shore. And yet, grace abounds. Thanks for all the friendly birthday wishes, to my love à travers la mer and to my family (including my thoughtful in-laws on FaceTime!) for exactly the perfect birthday bash I wanted today.