Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Wishing

My heart has been set on wishing. There's something I want very much, and it really doesn't have much to do with patience of perseverance. It's a shot in the dark, a hope to long for. And I'll find out if it comes true soon. I cleaned my room yesterday in an effort to distract myself; there's something relaxing about being in the mood to clean, sort, and explore the treasures lying hidden in your space. I have three book shelves in my room, with the middle one being a tad bit shorter than the other two. On it I have my Apollo bust and a bunch of very tiny books that can't fit on a normal shelf. There, while dusting, I rediscovered the tiny book called Wishing: Shooting Stars, Four-Leaf Clovers, and Other Wonders to Wish Upon compiled by Gloria T. Delamar.

I'm not surprised to find this little book again. While, at the ripe age of twenty-two (almost twenty-three!), I still feel adventuresome when I try a new flavor of potato chips or go on a new theme park ride. However, there are things I love that I think I'll always continue to love. I guess wishing has always fascinated me. Who hasn't wished? Like any other kid, I used to think of what I would wish for if I stumbled upon Genie's lamp. But lamps are rare treasures to find. They're buried in caves or under the land at the bottom of the sea. Genies don't want to be found; they're rather lazy and quite content to spend eternity lounging on plush pillows and watching the travel channel. So how do normal people wish? Well, my book tells me that you can just about wish on anything - but there are rules. And they're rather intriguing. So for this post, I'd thought I'd share some of my favorites from the book:

Acorn

"If an acorn falls while you're standing under an oak tree, pick it up, turn it around three times, and make a wish. To make the acorn's magic stronger, place it in a windowsill for three days."

Lightning Bug

"If you catch a lightning bug (also called a firefly or glowworm), place it on the back of your ring finger, as though it were a ring, and wish for a jewel. If the bug glows, you'll get your wish; if it flies away before glowing, you won't."

White Rabbit Night

"'White rabbit night' - the last night of a month - happens twelve times a year. If you say 'white rabbit' three times - sometime after midnight, and before you speak to anyone - you may make a wish for good luck for that month."

Train

"If you're passing under a trestle just as a train goes overhead, make a wish."


Interesting, eh? There's quite a bit of them in this book and it's nice to see that every culture has some kind of wishing tip or trick. But I'm always wondering: why is that we feel the need to wish on something? Perhaps it is because we really do believe that inanimate objects or concepts have power of their own. Maybe a fallen leaf can carry our wishes higher than the words that echo in our heads. What do you think?

The rest of my afternoon will be full of busy work, a lot of thinking, and indulging in some sweets. I confess I haven't made a wish on anything yet. I can't decide if I want to, even if such little folk tales and tips are fun to read about. I might keep my wish inside myself and keep it warm. Maybe, each time I realize it, it'll burn hotter than the summer air.

Photo from Tumblr

7 comments:

  1. Haha, I spent the entire first half of this post thinking I was reading something by one of my friends. Then I got to the point when you mention being twenty three, and I was like "wait...what?". Whoops.
    Your blogging style is similar to hers (and it's a style I love). (http://fleur-de-lis-passion.blogspot.com/)

    I think wishing ON things keeps us limited to not making "serious" wishes all the time. And then there's the whole "power of belief" placebo thing. Maybe wishes wished via superstition are more likely to come true than those idly made?

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  2. Oh, what to do with a heart full of yen? My heart keeps on wishing even though my mind tries to stifle it. I wonder who will win in the end. I hope your wish comes true and that you will be able to hold on till then. :)

    I really enjoyed reading these different things you can wish on! I had no idea.
    I caught a firefly the other day, I wish I had known I could have used it for personal gain! All I did was name it Matilda and let it fly away. Darn. ;)

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  3. oh I love the one about the acorn, that's my favourite.

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  4. @elfarmy17 Hahaha, I think it must be a happy mistake. Yes, I'm almost twenty-three. My birthday is on the 30th of May. I'm kind of hoping I'll be able to make a post about it on the day, but we'll see. It's weird to be hanging on the cusp of something. Cool! I'll check out your friend's blog :D

    Hm, I think you have a point. Like, some of the wishes had very intricate rituals to them. I feel like, if you followed it through all the way, you'd probably forget your wish by the time you'd get the chance to make it. I do believe in the power of belief, but I can't say it works all the time. I don't think anything does. But at least it's fun to read about these things and think about what people really did them :)

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  5. @Melee Aww, thanks! I think you put it beautifully. You know, the struggle between heart and mind. I don't think I can stop this wish, even if I tried really hard. Perhaps there's a stubbornness about my heart that I'm only half aware of :)

    Hahahaha! Oh, I know, right? I used to get very angry as a kid after reading that book, thinking about everything I missed making a wish on :P But that's really cute that you named your firefly. I think that deserves a wish granted :D

    @hila Ah, yes, I really liked the acorn one too. The book is listed in alphabetical order, and that's the first one. But I think it's interesting enough to deserve it's place there :)

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  6. Love this post! What a great book~ It seems like it would be filled with the seeds for many great stories :)

    I feel like I've been doing a lot of unconscious wishing lately. Wishing for more time to read, write, craft, etc etc. There's too much work! hahaha. And of course there are those wishes that I cling to all year round. Those are hiding at the bottom of the wish pile.

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  7. Oh, yes, the feeling that you get while cleaning is a rather relaxing one. I just love coming across fascinatig books such as that. Why, I just recently found a gem called: "Lady Cottingtons Pressed Fairy Letters" whilst on my travels. Wishes are very magical, aren't they? Everyone has their own special ways of helping them to come true.

    xx and hugs

    Jhordyn

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