Dear Mom and Dad,

HAPPY 29TH ANNIVERSARY. You both have given me a number of flaws. Momma, you’ve given me the crooked foot I had to get surgery on and the squinty eyes in pictures. Dad… dad.... Did you reallyyyyy have to give me your nose?! Or your weird nose twitching habits? Sigh. If those faults came with mom’s incredible smile and dad’s bizarre sense of humor, I guess the trade off isn’t half bad.

Mom, thank you for letting me cry in your arms one too many times. Thank you for creating a seemingly endless task list to vacuum the bathroom and scrub my sinks clean; the transition to take care of myself in college wasn’t even remotely difficult because of you.

Thank you for teaching me the importance of simplicity, in the way I treat myself and all that I own. Thank you for teaching me that cluttered room can block my energies and the will to be productive. Thank you for never allowing me to douse my face in makeup when I was younger and constantly reminding me that I didn’t need it- I’m so blessed to now feel confident in my natural skin. Oh, and you’ve also called almost all of my interests in advance: yoga, meditation, natural remedies, podcasts, and nutrition. Granted, I’ve definitely taken some of them to an extreme, but nonetheless, it’s a blessing to be able to have those conversations with you.

Dad, you are undoubtedly the child of the household. Thank you for all the times you’ve just looked at me mid-tears and said, “Why are you crying?” as a reminder that not everyone is worth stressing over. Thank you for your constant sense of lightheartedness, for always reminding me that hey, shit happens, and to “take it in strides!!”. You are one hell of a sweet talker but I’m thankful for the numerous lessons on how to persuade people (and how to handle myself when it doesn’t work out).

Thank you for instilling an appreciation for travel, good food and quite literally ALL the little things in life- from the Grand Canyon to the simple breeze on a fall day. I think it's fair to attribute my constant sentimentality to your side of the family... thank you for that.

I’m grateful to both of you for always willing to have an open conversation about whatever is on my mind, even if we don’t always see eye to eye. Thank you for essentially threatening me when I was younger with the constant “We’d rather hear you did something from you than from someone else!”; it somehow made me more inclined to open up to you about things most Indian girls are unable to with their parents.

More importantly, thank you for showering each other with an overwhelming amount of admiration, forgiveness and love. I can’t think of a better pair of people to balance one another so well- Mom, you almost always defend my spendings on a spontaneous, (sometimes unnecessary) piercing or a new shirt. Dad, you are the most avid yet contradicting couponer to exist. I don’t know anyone else that drops money on random projects, scolds me for buying too many fruits and vegetables, and then also permits me to get whatever expensive dessert at a restaurant that same night.

Cheers to you effortlessly making 29 years of marriage look like something I can handle! You’ve been my constant reminder that a real love exists; I can’t think of a better duo to have raised and loved the organized chaos that I am. Happy Anniversary- I love you both so much.