If you had three wishes.

 

In the spirit of peace and good will toward all men, my wife asked me last night what would I wish for if I had three wishes, then she immediately applied the rule, “you cannot ask for three more wishes”, which took the words right out of my month.

            I had to think about it for awhile.  What would I wish for, that’s not an easy question to answer.  After contemplating for a little while, I responded

            - I’d wish that I would die before everyone that I loved (My brother died before my         mother.  That must have been terrible for her).

            - I’d wish that I lived a long happy and healthy live (which means that my loved one         would also live a long life because of my first wish) and

            - I’d wish that when the time comes, that I would go fast and not linger around in misery             spending all my heir’s inheritance.

After I divulged these rather morbid wishes, my wife reviled what her three wishes would be

            - That the Islamic State, ISIS, would be quickly and thoroughly destroyed.

            - That the world would find a solution to global warming and

            - That the finally we would reach world peace. 

(Had to smile at this last wish because it remained me of Steve Martin’s comedy routine in which he lists his three wishes that starts out with “world peace” but after reconsideration, finally winds up with him being a billionaire and world peace ending up in tenth place.)

 

There are stark contrasts between the wishes.  Obviously my impending disaster weighs on my mind and my great love for those who are close to me.  My wish list is self centered, my wishes revolve around me and what would make me happy.  And of course, Cindy and my children and grand children would be the benefactors of these wishes.

 

Cindy’s list is much more worldly and more gracious and generous toward all those inhabiting this forlorn planet.  But her wish list is also much more difficult to obtain, perhaps impossible. 

The conclusion I reach is that my wishes are more self-centered, but more realistically accomplished.  My wife’s are more charitable toward everyone, more generous and more worldly but incredibly difficult to accomplish.  Maybe that’s the way it is suppose to be.

 

Maybe you should ask those closes to you what they would wish for.  You might get interesting results.

 

Terry Amrhein

Author of Democracy on the Edge

Available at www.AmrheinsBooks.com