Friday, April 18, 2008

Wishing

Do any of you play the wishing game? You know, there one where there really is a genie and he really is going to give you three wishes, and you have to figure out exactly what to wish for? It's my most favorite daydream, and I can occupy myself for far longer than is probably healthy just thinking of what my wishes would be. Given that my basic wants are simple (healthy pregnancy/baby, to be skinny and to have enough money to put my kid(s) through college, in that order), you'd think it would be the shortest fantasy in the world. But no.

Because, of course, what if my genie is the evil kind? You know, like the one on the X-files who, when Mulder wishes for world peace, instantly kills off all of humanity except Mulder. Or the one from that movie who fulfills this guy's wish to be rich by making him a drug lord. I am convinced that if I simply wished to weigh, say, 120 pounds, I'd wake up missing a few limbs. And I really, really don't want to be a drug lord.

So my wishes tend to be paragraphs long, and come complete with clauses and sub-paragraphs (hey, that law degree's gotta be good for something!). For instance, "I wish that I was a perfectly healthy weight for my height and build, that my body would be perfectly proportioned (just in case the genie decides I can weigh 120 pounds, but 110 of them are in my thighs), and that I could maintain that weight with the exception of appropriate gain in the event of pregnancy, which weight I will be able to lose at a safe rate after the baby comes."

And then, of course, I start making things even more complicated by feeling guilty. (yes, even in my wildest dreams, I feel guilt). It's kind of lazy, isn't it, just wish and poof! become skinny. No, that wouldn't be fair to the people who work really hard to lose and maintain their weight. Similarly, it's kind of wrong to want money that I didn't earn. So then I start scaling down my wishes -- I wish for an interesting, flexible job that pays well. I wish to like fruits and veggies more than I like rice, pasta, chocolate and cheetos. I wish that I craved exercise like I currently crave a hamburger.

What about you? Do you play the wishing game? What are your wishes, and are you as specific as I am?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's funny that you make yours into paragraphs. Do you add little footnotes and cross references between your wishes, too?

I'm often afraid to wish. It's like when I pray for someone while at church then feel the need to say "and him and her and her and him" too. Don't want to leave anyone out.

For the purpose of this experiment (post), I'll do one diet related wish: I wish that whatever we ate would be healthy in whatever quantity and that as long as we're not sitting on the couch doing nothing, we don't gain weight and could be completely healthy.

Mrs.X said...

I used to have very specific wishes - now, I just wish to be as happy as I can. It also takes the pressure off if a specific wish doesn't come true, for whatever reason.

judy said...

I have stayed up nights thinking about this. I think that I have narrowed it down. My wishing is always based on the genie three wish theory.
1-I wish for a healthy, happy long life for myself and my family.
2-I wish for enough money to allow my family to be comfortable for the rest of our lives
3-I wish that I could be used as an avenue of good and have meaningful access to help others.