Three Wishes

If you could have three wishes,

what would you wish for?

Oooh, this is a tough question.

There are so many possibilities from which to choose, and the only limit is your imagination. It’s a little like, “If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money?”

Immediately I believe that I would be an eager wisher. I’d say, “Let me at those wishes – see what I can DO!”. Wishing is a cross between wanting and hoping, and I am prepared to wish away. After all, who doesn’t want or hope for something?

But then I think about the quality of my wishes and the limited number of wishes and I hesitate. “I better make these good,” I say, “I only get three.” And I try to think about how to make the most of my wishing. I should wish for something that will be lasting, or something that is supremely fulfilling. What could I want that could be like that?

And then I also consider how I could help others with my wishes. At first, I think about taking care of the people in my family. How would I use my wishes to make their lives easier? Then that thought carries over to caring for friends and coworkers, and then to the community around me. I find that wishing for others is just as satisfying, if not more so, as wishing for myself.

Now I return to the question of “What?” What can I wish for that will make the greatest impact? That’s when I realize that what I wish for is actually the product of wishes fulfilled. I wish for peace and happiness. I wish for needs being met. I wish for things that are not things at all. What I wonder is, “how?”. How can such great wishes be fulfilled when there are so many obstacles?

I think I know that wishing is only the first step. Wishing is an important step. It means that I’ve identified what I want and hope for. But it only stays there, at that step, unless I share my vision with others and take action towards manifesting my dream. It takes thought combined with action, and realization that while nothing lasts forever, the things worth doing and having can make a permanent impact.

So what would you wish for, with your three wishes?

Inspired by Saint Francis, my wishes might look like this:

1. Peace, for everyone.

2. To love and to be loved.

3. To understand and to be understood.

Of course, that’s just a blueprint. If I want to make those a reality, I’ve got some work to do!

In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter,

and sharing of pleasures.

For in the dew of little things the heart finds its

morning and is refreshed.

~ Kahlil Gibran