wishes

The other night I was wishing, wishing that Noah hadn't gotten sick like his brother, exactly one week later, on a Saturday, and that led me to thinking about how I really like wishing.

As a child, I made many wishes.  I would wait for an apppropriate time of course--the first star of the night sky, blowing out the birthday candles but later realized that just wasn't enough.  So I found out that if an eyelash falls out and you find it, you can make a wish and then blow your eyelash into the wind.  Blowing dandelions was another good time to make a wish.  Then, I admit, I got a little carried away.  If I saw 11:11 on the clock, I would make a wish.  If our car drove over a bridge at the exact time a train went under it, it was wishing time.  If I was eating a bag of peanut M&Ms and came across an M&M without the peanut inside, I would make a wish.  As you can see, I did make it a little hard for me to find opportunities to wish.  I knew it couldn't be very easy; that I had to work for it.  (Imagine my disappointment when I looked at the clock at 11:12, or after begging inside my head for Mom to drive faster, we just missed the train or eating a whole bag of peanut M&Ms and they all had peanuts).

I wish that I could tell you that I stopped doing all of that when I grew up to be an adult.  I wish I could tell you I was a bit embarrassed that I didn't stop.  But those wishes weren't made on any of the criteria I have for wishing, so sorry, it just won't happen.  :)  Although now, I do most of my wishing at night when I can't sleep.

To me, wishes are hopes, little prayers and dreams.  Why would anyone want to stop that? I remember a year ago I read a book (and I think I talked about it on this blog) about a woman making three wishes that she hoped would come true in a year.  The thing about her wishes, though, was that she just didn't make them in the one-star night.  She thought about it, she wrote them down, she made a sculpture of what she wanted to see in her life and she even sought those things out. 

I thought about that as I was wishing the other night in my bed.  How do I go about making my wishes (or little prayers) become a reality?

• I wish I could be the kind of mom that has breakfast ready for the kids before they get out of bed.
• For that to happen, I am going to have to be the one to get out of bed earlier than I currently do. 
• I wish I could get those Waste Management people to call me back and talk to me about a recycling contract for the school.
• I am going to have to sound more authoritative, less like someone who is easily pushed around.
• I wish I could sound more authoritative on the phone.
• I am going to have to practice.  Look, I admit, Dad, that I am a mumbler.  I also am no good on the phone.  Or with confrontation.  Or having a take charge kind of attitude.  I am cursed with being too nice. :)  But maybe this will be good for me. 

Those are just small wishes I have.  There are others, deeper and more personal. But talking about these wishes has made me want to think about those others.  Maybe I should do what the author of that book did.  Maybe I will write it down or draw a picture--something to remind me what I am striving for in my life.

Do you still wish?  Do you have funny ways of wishing (or is it just me)?  What is something you wish for this week?  I hope that whatever you wish for, it becomes a reality for you.