The genie grants you a wish. What is it?

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If I Had One Wish

If a genie granted me one wish, I don’t think I would wish for something extravagant.

I think I would wish for a house on the lake.

Not because I need a bigger house.

Not because I’m trying to impress anybody.

But because when I picture peace, that’s what it looks like to me.

A quiet house near the water.

A porch.

A view.

Coffee in the morning while the lake is still.

Family close enough to come by without needing a plan.

My parents nearby.

Laughter drifting through the house.

Maybe dinner outside when the weather is nice.

Maybe somebody fishing off the dock.

Maybe somebody sitting on the porch talking about absolutely nothing—and somehow that being enough.

I think as we get older, our wishes change.

We stop wishing for things simply because they look good.

We start wishing for things that feel good.

Peace.

Time.

Family.

Health.

Presence.

A place where the people we love can gather and where nobody feels rushed to leave.

If I had one wish, I think I would want a home that becomes part of the family story.

The place everybody remembers.

The house where birthdays happen.

Where grandchildren run through the yard.

Where holidays get crowded.

Where someone always knows there is a chair for them.

And yes, I want the lake.

Because there is something about water that makes me exhale.

But the truth is, the house is only part of the wish.

The real wish is having the people I love close enough to enjoy it with me.

Especially my parents.

Because the older I get, the more I understand that the things we think we have forever are often the very things we should treasure while we still have them.

So if a genie gave me one wish?

Give me the house on the lake.

Give me the porch.

Give me the sunsets.

But more than anything—

give me time there with the people I love.

Thinking out loud…

Maybe the things we wish for most aren’t really things at all.

Maybe they’re moments we’re hoping life gives us enough time to live.