Have you ever taken advantage of a random excuse to make a wish? I found a loose eyelash on my face – make a wish! I just drove over train tracks – make a wish! I held my breath through the whole tunnel – make a wish!
Well I was driving home last night, exhausted from a most energetic evening catching up with great friends, and I saw the clock on my dashboard strike 11:11pm. As if by instinct, I immediately thought, ‘oh I should make a wish!’ So I thought about it and finally said, ‘I wish that I’ll be able to get quickly back to the house without any delays, so that I might see the housemates before they go to bed, instead of having to sneak inside in the dark.’
But once spoken, I realized this was a rather odd wish for me. Oh I meant my wish, but it’s just that this is not at all like the wishes I’m used to making. In fact, I guess I really haven’t been making my usual kinds of wishes for a while now, since this whole recent life revaluation began.
A year ago, if I saw the clock hit 11:11, I would have wished for a more peaceful state of mind, or even for world peace. I might have wished that my job would suck less or that I’d soon find that one guy that can inspire me to love. In a sense, I would have wished for something on a bit of a grander scale, something less specific, and thus less easily attained. I’d have set my sights too high without a clear idea of how to reach them, and as such, would probably never have reach them.
This was a common theme for the way I lived my life before the massive re-haul which redefined my path. But in turning around and looking back at how I’d lived and who I’d become, I saw this theme emerging. And I didn’t like what I see.
Now that I’ve come through the thickest part of the forest, and am making my way into the wide open fields, I understand what making wishes is really about. If you want to wish for something – I mean really wish for it – then you’ve got to start with a clear idea of what you want and how you can get it. That’s the first key ingredient, and it’s something I’ve only just recently figured out for myself.
A wish is a mixture of one part dreaming and one part reality. You can’t manufacture a miracle out of thin air. It’s got to be based on something that already exists around you. But then you add the magic of the wish, and with confidence and courage, you just might be able to see it come true.
That wish I made last night was a perfect example of this. Sure, it was a small one and very simple, but more importantly, it was based in reality. I was already on my way home, and making good time. But I also knew it was very late, and could a little helping of wish magic to make sure I got back in time. It wasn’t much to wish for, but it was sure as hell a realistic wish – one part dreaming, and one part reality.
Of course, I’m not afraid to shoot higher than that, so long as I keep this in mind. I’ve got a great many other wishes I’d like to whisper upon a shooting star, that ask for something a bit more than just a reasonable bedtime. But each one is still based in reality, with a clear sense of what I want and how I think I could achieve it with a little bit of magic.
I wish that I’ll survive the next two weeks at work, and find the peace I believe will come at the end of it. I wish that I’ll be able to reconnect with those people here that truly matter to me, and ensure we maintain those relationships long after I leave. I wish for the strength to continue, and not lose momentum on this new journey, once I finally taste that sweet, sweet freedom.
I wish that in good time, with a combination of dedication and aptitude, I will become a successfully paid stuntwoman. Equally so, I wish that I’ll find someone out there willing to pay me for my writing!
I could keep going. I wish that my upcoming birthday celebration will indeed kick ass! I wish for my intended trips to Hawaii, Yosemite and beyond to all become reality. I wish to continue finding newer and better ways to simplify and streamline my life, and maximize my useful time. I wish to always have a clear idea of what I want, and how I can go about getting it. I wish that I will keep writing everyday, and really utilizing all the powerful outlets I’ve identified to express myself. And I wish through all this, to continue realizing ways of inspiring others to do the same.
Are you seeing a trend here? All of these wishes I’ve listed, they are all really just goals of mine. You could just chalk these up to the objectives I’ve set forth to achieve on this new phase of my journey.
That’s all wishes really are anyway. They are the aspirations that you’ve determined you truly want, the intentions you’ve deemed possible, with just a little bit of magic.
So now it’s your turn. Tell me, what do you wish for?
