Today is World Wish Day! Truthfully, it's probably a good thing that we don't get countless wishes. Imagine if everyone in the world got a wish today. It would be utter chaos and some might even wish for unpleasant things. However, it is fun to imagine, so today Rabia and I thought it would be fun to think about ten wishes we would make if we were gifted with a magical genie in a lamp.
Ten is a lot of wishes! So, first off, I would start with some wishes that would improve the whole world.
1. I would wish for world peace. Cliche, maybe, but I would love to turn on the news and hear happy stories instead of constant stories about violence, arguments, and war.
2. Then, I would end hunger. It really boggles my mind how anyone in this world can go hungry when, at least here, we have such an abundance of food. Then, every week when I buy groceries for my family of five, I am reminded why many people can't afford to eat - or at least eat well. I would use one of my wishes to fix that.
3. I would end child suffering. If had a ten wishes, I would use one to make sure no child is ever abused or exploited again. In my career as a preschool teacher, I saw firsthand how abuse can affect children. I have always had a soft spot in my heart, a deep compassion for children. It breaks my heart to seem then hurt in any way.
4. I worry this one might upset the balance in the world. I mean, there has to be a cycle of life so the Earth doesn’t become grossly overpopulated and deplete all of our resources. (Perhaps, I’m over thinking just a bit.) That said, I would wish for an end to disease. No more cancer or AIDS or Alzheimer’s. Everyone is touched by these in one way or another it seems. Eradicating them would end so much pain, suffering, and grief.
Now that I have used a few wishes to save the world, I would start getting a little selfish.
5 and 6. For my fifth and sixth wishes, I would probably ask for a couple of the super powers I fantasized about in a previous Tuesday Ten. It would be hard to choose, but I think I would ask for invisibility and super speed (or maybe teleportation).
7. Next, I would wish for some instant home renovations. With a snap of the genie’s fingers, our master bath would be re-done and the kitchen would become the kitchen of my dreams. It would also include some new furniture and designer touches.
8. My seventh wish would be for a cleaning fairy. This lovely little fairy would happily fly around behind my children cleaning up all their messes. She would do the laundry and the dishes. She would mop, vacuum, and dust every day. My house would be constantly shiny and lemon-scented without me lifting a finger.
9. For the eighth wish, I would do a reverse Little Mermaid. She gave her voice away to get what she wanted, but I would do the opposite. I would wish to have a beautiful voice and the ability to play any instrument effortlessly. I love music, but have no musical talent. (Except for my ability to re-write song lyrics for Stephanie to perform.) With ten wishes, I could fix that.
10. Finally, for my last wish, I would ask for money. Not an overly exorbitant amount. After all, by this time I would have gotten most everything I could ever want. I would want to be financially secure for the future. I would want enough to pay for my daughters’ college educations wherever they want to go. I would want to give them the weddings of their dreams. I would want to travel (via my super speed I wished for already) all around the world with them. I would want to do it all without having to stress about where the money is coming from. How much would that take?? I honestly have no idea.
There you have it - my ten wishes. This was actually much harder than I thought it would be. Ten is a lot and I didn’t want all of them to be completely selfish. But, as I mentioned in #4, sometimes, if this was real, we would have to consider the ultimate consequences of the wishes we made - even if they seemed like something good.
**I have to share this little side story. Recently, a young cousin of mine who has some significant special needs and one of those diseases I would like to see gone forever, had to have some very major, potentially dangerous surgery. My girls have actually never met this cousin of theirs, but as I was telling them about the situation, my youngest got teary. She asked me why God made him sick and I had no answer. She did, though. She said, “Well, if I ever get a wish, a real wish, I wouldn’t use it on myself. I would wish for him to be better.” She has such a big heart. If any of us ever did get wishes - real wishes that would definitely come true - I hope we would make our wishes with the kindness and compassion of my sweet six year old.
How about you?? If you found a genie in a bottle who gave you ten wishes, what would your wishes be??
