Birthday celebrations: reflecting on another trip around the sun

Oh, how I adore a celebration. Any excuse for a bit of sparkle, a gathering of loved ones, a reason to raise a glass? Count me in! I love a party, big or small, and I truly cherish commemorating the milestones, both grand and everyday. And so, as another year rolls around, bringing with it my birthday, the celebratory spirit is definitely in full swing. Pass the prosecco!

But even amidst the joy, another year ticks by, and just like clockwork, my birthday arrives hand-in-hand with that perennial question: what am I doing with my life? It's a yearly reflection, a moment to pause amidst the festivities and take stock. And while I genuinely feel a swell of pride for everything that has landed in my path, I have to be honest – this isn't totally where I thought I'd be.

Two years ago, on this very day, my birthday was marked by tears. A big move abroad to chase a man (now my fiancé! So, you know, worth the dramatic airport farewells) had just happened, and I had left my familiar world behind, stepping into a Chicago I barely knew. On my birthday, the new timezone was a cruel twist, silencing the usual flurry of birthday calls, the promise of cute coffee dates, or even familiar work colleagues with little gestures that made the day feel special. My beautiful partner, of course, made it lovely and spoilt me, and for him I am truly thankful, but there's a unique ache when your community feels a world away. I remember that day so vividly, the bittersweet mix of "I'm in America!" excitement and "Wait, where's my girlfriends to share this prosecco with?" loneliness.

Beautiful flowers from friends on my birthday

But oh, what two years can do! While it took time, a gentle and patient accumulation, I've built a wonderful group of friends here in Chicago, those not born out of proximity or shared history, but connections forged through genuine common ground and conscious choice, making this new city truly feel like home. This year I celebrated with a morning coffee and almond croissant (an obvious choice), a bougie lunch with a beautiful group of ladies with enough laughter to fill plenty more afternoons, and a pizza picnic on the floor of our apartment to mark the end of considerably the perfect day. As my fiancé pointed out, "you've come a long way since crying on your birthday 2 years ago..." and I couldn't agree more!

Yet, while I'm loving my new community, other life plans are also something that birthdays cause a reflection on. I feel most would be lying if they hadn't loosely planned to have reached milestones by a certain age... whether a career step, buying a house, or getting married - all by, say, 32? It is very common to plan life in this way, like an ambitious to-do list, but it's also common for it not to work out as intended, and birthdays are a reminder of the goals we achieved (yay!) as well as those we may not have...

When I think about this for me, career-wise I have worked incredibly hard over the last two years to get to where I am today, ticking off some actions from that part of the life plan, and that dedication has indeed skyrocketed my career to where I'd long hoped to be after a previous lull. I consider my career milestones fulfilled for the time being, and that deserves celebration (more prosecco!). However, shifting to a personal front, the unwritten family chapter is still, well, unwritten, leading to a sense that some of those personal milestones are lagging behind the original hypothetical plan. Being closer to the reality of family life is an ongoing part of my life's narrative, a quiet ache that surfaces, especially on days like this, a reminder of dreams still waiting to bloom, and something to hopefully accomplish by the next birthday... (universe, are you listening? Just putting it out there...)

As another birthday unfolds here in Chicago, a quiet curiosity bubbles up about where next year's celebration will take place. I honestly have no idea what the next 12 months will bring - will we still be navigating the vibrant energy of this city, or will another adventure be on the horizon? Maybe we'll have a tiny human demanding our attention? Who knows! I hope it looks different, not because I'm unhappy now – far from it – but because the human spirit thrives on evolution and new experiences. This year is good, filled with love, career wins, and enough good friends to bail me out of any future timezone-related birthday crises, but the adventurer in me is always eager for the next chapter, the next celebration, the next set of memories to make.

So, as I raise a glass to another year, the introspection feels less like a stark assessment and more like a gentle check-in, conducted with a healthy dose of self-deprecating humour. I'm not exactly where I envisioned on every front (turns out, predicting the future is harder than it looks!), but I'm surrounded by love, building meaningful connections in my adopted city, achieving professional goals, and navigating life's twists and turns with a growing sense of resilience. And that, in itself, feels like a pretty wonderful reason to celebrate. Now, bring on the cake! And maybe that prosecco!