The Birthday Wish I Kept Making
Another year, another birthday cake, another wish whispered into the flickering glow of candles. Please, let this be the year I find my person.
If you’ve ever found yourself blowing out the candles with that same silent hope, you’re not alone. Birthdays have a way of making us reflect—not just on the past year, but on where we thought we’d be by now. There’s an invisible timeline society whispers in our ears, making us feel like love should arrive by a certain age, beautifully wrapped with a bow delivered right on schedule. For most of us, life and love aren’t that predictable.
I know this wish all too well. Every birthday for years, I closed my eyes, blew out the candles, and hoped that I wouldn’t be celebrating alone by this time next year. Over the years, instead of wishing to not be single next year, I tried wishing for something deeper… Let this be the year I grow in love—whether that’s with myself, my friendships, or the right person when the time is right. Because the truth is, every year you’re evolving and learning more about yourself, becoming even more ready for the kind of love that lasts.
The waiting wasn’t easy. But now, on the other side of that journey, I can say with certainty that every wish and moment of longing was leading me to exactly where I was meant to be.
On my wedding day, I ended my vows with my favorite quote from Sixteen Candles—the same scene I’m using to mark this moment now. When Jake tells Samantha to make a wish, she smiles and says, But it already came true. That line held so much meaning for me because, after years of wishing, my wish had come true.
And if you’re still making that same wish, hold on to hope. Love has its own timeline, and yours is unfolding beautifully.
So this year, as you take a deep breath and make your wish, know you are not behind. You are exactly where you need to be. And maybe, just maybe, this is the year your wish starts coming true in ways you never expected.
Happy Birthday—to you, to me, and to all of us still wishing.
XO,
Lisa
