Wish:
Verb
To want something that can not or probably will not happen.
But what if it does?

The latest Lindsay Lohan movie begins with this dictionary definition of the word “Wish”. Such a simple word, but it holds great power. The movie was nice, and yes, I am unapologetically a feminine bookworm who enjoys chick flicks. The cinematography of Hallmark Channel or Disney movies relaxes me more than the mountaintop view one gets after trekking for hours. Sorry adrenaline junkies….

Anyhow, my thoughts today are not related to this movie. I was thinking about wishes, not the big wishes or life goals… The smaller ones: the many teeny tiny wishes we make throughout the day. Like “I hope I don’t get traffic on my way to work today” when we start late for office. Or “I hope my flight doesn’t get delayed on a bad weather day” or “My toddler eats his whole lunch without adult supervision”. Well, the last one would be a miracle, not a wish if it came true.

In our daily lives, we all struggle to keep up with a gazillion things. No matter how much we plan and prepare. Something seems to slip up and we feel devastated. So, what about those happy-go-lucky guys? Who just get lucky all the time? It seems like life is so easy for some people. We envy our friends and neighbors, without giving a thought that this might just be our perception of their lives, not the reality.

I believe that everyone carries their own unique struggles and sorrows. And it’s not possible to compare their problems to ours. It’s like comparing apples and oranges. Some people complain about having too many things on their plate and want 25 hours a day, while others covet their seemingly perfect, always-on-the-go life. Not realizing that they have the blessing of time and freedom to do whatever they want. I feel we all need to figure out how to deal with our stressful lives. I devised a strategy for myself “Go with the flow”. There is nothing new about it. But I want to share some anecdotes with you all.

• I wanted to try this Bubble tea for quite some time now. Me and my friend planned to meet at this new Bubble tea shop instead of our usual Starbucks. I ordered an almond cream tea. With my first sip, I realized that I was going to be miserable if I tried to finish this huge drink. With a heavy heart and not wanting to pay again. I went to the counter, told the barista what happened, and said I would rather have a light iced tea, no cream (my usual). She suddenly said that there was a no-show for a Honey lemon tea order which she freshly made. And I can have it. When I offered to pay, she said it was on the house. Feeling glad I joined my friend again and enjoyed my evening.

• My son wanted to join a soccer/basketball class. So, I took him to our nearest sports academy. They told us that all the basketball and soccer classes were already full. I felt disheartened, but the teacher said there are a few spots available in the “Introduction to Sports class” where they just introduce a new game to kids every week. My son joined it, and he is loving it. Hopefully, by the end of the class, he will figure out which game he wants to pursue.

• I must have left the car dome light open, after my grocery trip in the evening. And the next morning I saw that from my kitchen window. I was scared that it must have drained the battery. My thoughts were all about the worst-case scenario like the car will definitely need a jump start or it needs to be taken to a mechanic or telling my husband and getting his uncalled advice. Later that day when I tried to start the car, it just started putting all my worries to rest. I thanked God and my car 😊.

I got lucky, that too 3 times in the past week. And to get lucky all I did was “NOTHING”. All the 3 incidents that I just shared are casual day-to-day incidents with no major impact on our lives. But we often overthink and blow them out of proportion in our heads. Sometimes the best strategy is to do nothing. And you never know what may happen next.

This mindset will not work for every life situation, but at least we can assess what is worth stressing about and what is not. I hope you have a lucky weekend 😊.