I Wish
I Wish
- jim Young
"When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are,
Anything your heart desires will come to you."
- Ned Washington & Leigh Harline
Generally speaking, older people don’t make as many wishes as children do. What’s ironic about that, is that one of the things that older people do wish for, is to be young again. Paradoxically, adults often wish to be young again, but with the added codicil of knowing then, what they know now. The very lessons that taught you the things you know now require the time that made you old in the first place.
Older people will often still go through the motions of making a wish such as wishing on a star or blowing out candles on a birthday cake.
But their hearts are not really in it any more. While they are so intent on wanting to be young but knowing then what they know now, they have forgotten how to be old and knowing now, what they knew then. What many have forgotten that they knew as a child, was how to believe.
And that’s too bad. It’s probably years of skepticism (one of those less positive lessons that time has taught them) that now deprives them of the same joy they used to get just from wishing.
A wish isn’t really a wish unless you “believe”.
It’s not that hard to believe in your wishes really. Many older people believe in the power of prayer and it could be suggested that a prayer is not a lot unlike a wish that is entrusted to a higher being.
If a wish is just a prayer internalized all you need to do is to put the same kind of faith in yourself that you put in whoever it may be that you pray to.
Most motivational speakers will advise you however, that to make your wishes come true, you also have to act upon them. It’s the same thing with prayer. Most people believe that for their prayers to work they have to also act upon them by following the protocols of their faith. Maybe it’s time to start putting the same energy into your wishes that you do your prayers.
Bottom line… if you’re not too old to pray, (and you’re not) you’re also not too old to wish upon a star.
Of course, depending on what it is that you wish or pray for, either way, it’s still always important that you “manage your expectations”.
Here’s a few of the things that I used to wish upon as a child that always brought me joy. They still do today.
Birthday Candles
It has been estimated that between 70% and 75% of the world population make wishes on birthdays by blowing out candles on some form of food item - mostly cakes. How has the world population survived for so many years with so many people eating cake that someone has blown their spit and germs across? Past studies have shown this practice can increase the bacteria on the icing of the birthday cake by as much as 1,400%. But who wants to eat their cake without the icing?
Post covid there has been more awareness of the hygienics of this practice and some people have resorted to placing candles on a cup cake or individual slice while others have turned to alternate methods of extinguishing the candles by clapping or waving near the flames. Somehow I can’t see those methods as being as effective as just blowing. Especially when you only get one shot at it. According to the standard rules of birthday candle blowing, your wish won’t come true unless you extinguish ALL of the candles on your first try.
Thankfully, in spite of this new awareness, candle manufacturers and bakers have reported that demand for this ritual has not waned since covid.
Whatever method you choose to protect the health and welfare of your guests, don't forget to make your wish before you blow your candles out.
Star Light, Star Bright
Stars in the night sky seem to be popular for making wishes from the very first star that appears at dusk to the more rare ones that fall from the heavens.
First Star
“Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight,
I wish I may, wish I might have this wish, I wish tonight.” - anon
The tradition of blowing out candles on your birthday cake requires the company of your friends to witness the act even though they should not be privy to your actual wish.
But the first star wish can be performed alone or in the company of others. When the first star in the sky appears all you need to do is utter the above chant and then make your wish. (Make it to yourself if friends are nearby.) The best part is you have the opportunity to make a new wish every single evening, provided it’s a clear night. That’s up to 365 wishes every year instead of just one per year with the birthday candle wish. And one more on a leap year. BONUS! Nor do you have to worry that you might lose your wish over something silly like not being able to blow hard enough.
Falling Stars
Falling Star wishes are even more prolific than the First Star wish. A typical person might see anywhere between 5 to 10 falling stars on any given clear night giving one the opportunity to make thousands of wishes in one year. No blowing and no chanting is required for the most part although in Chile, folklore requires you pick up a stone at the exact moment you see the falling star as you make your wish. So make sure you have a bag of rocks on hand if you choose Chile for your star wishing.
In reality, falling stars are actually meteors that fall through the atmosphere to become meteorites with the potential to cause destruction of property. With the opportunity to have hundreds or even thousands of wishes come true every year, might I suggest that in the interest of humanity, each night you make your first wish to protect everyone. Wishing something like, “I wish that no falling stars injure anyone in the world or their property tonight,” should cover all the bases and still leave you plenty of falling stars for your own more personal wishes.
If you get a chance to actually catch a falling star (and there’s no reason to believe you can’t) never pass up the opportunity. Catching falling stars aren’t necessarily known to grant you wishes, but they can bring you good luck.
“Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, never let it fade away.
Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, save it for a rainy day.
For love may come and tap you on the shoulder some starless night.
And just in case you feel you wanna hold her, you'll have a pocketful of starlight.”
- Performed by Perry Como and written by Lee Julien Pockriss and Paul J. Vance
Wishbones
If you don’t find the concept of ripping apart the bones of a dead turkey or chicken after you have devoured its flesh too morbid, you can also make a wish on a wishbone. It’s right in the name, although the proper name for the wishbone is actually “furcula” which means “little fork” in Latin.
With more frequency than blowing out birthday candles but less than wishing on stars, in many households you can wish on a turkey wishbone at Christmas, New Years, Easter and Thanksgiving just to name a few and not counting any chickens you may have for supper throughout the year.
But there’s a catch. The wishbone requires two people to make a wish and only one gets their wish to come true. After removing all the meat from the wishbone and letting it dry overnight until it’s brittle, two people will wrap their little finger around the branches or arms of the wishbone, silently make their wish, nod their head to advise the other they are ready and then pull on their side of the wishbone. Almost like a miniature game of tug-of-war they will continue to pull until the wishbone snaps. Inevitably one will end up with the bigger half and their reward is to have their wish come true. The other person must wait until the next holiday in which they have turkey for dinner again. Or, if they don’t want to wait, they can just go outside when it gets dark and wish upon a star.
Tossing Coins In Wells and Fountains
While some of these customs for making wishes date back hundreds of years, tossing coins in wells and fountains, like some of the others, have been around for thousands of years. This custom began with Celtic and Roman-British cultures. People would offer coins, weapons or jewelry to water gods, nymphs or guardian spirits to ask for favours or express their gratitude for favours already bestowed upon them.
Embracing the skepticism they have learned over the years, some people may consider it a bribe to whoever their gods or fairies that are in charge of making wishes may be. Or they may feel it is akin to literally just throwing money away.
Like blowing your spit across a birthday cake, more recent studies have shown there are also hazards of tossing coins into wells. Contaminants such as nickel and copper can be released, not just into the well, but also nearby groundwater making drinking water unsafe for consumption. Coins can clog plumbing, jam fountain pumps and cause expensive mechanical failures. Over time, coins may corrode, causing the staining of historical artifacts and stonework.
Perhaps modern day wishing wells will one day be equipped with specialized ATM machines that allow for direct deposits only for your wishes. You’ll still have to go to the bank to actually make your wishes for monetary gifts come true. Remember what I said about having to put some effort into making your wishes come true? Perhaps just a sign on the well with a QR Code to permit e-Transfers would suffice.
In the meantime, keep all those discontinued pennies that you have around your house to help make your wishes come true for years to come.
And on a much more positive note, even if you’re having difficulty getting your wishes to come true, the proceeds from wishing wells and fountains at least help other people realize their wishes as the money usually goes to charities and other non-profit organizations.
The Dandelion
As a child, one of my favourite methods for making a wish was a dandelion that had gone to seed. Like the birthday candle wish it involves blowing, but the act is performed outside and not near food or other people that may be subjected to your spit and germs.
And seeds that remained stubbornly attached to the dandelion plant were carefully counted to predict the number of years we would have left to live or the number of children we might one day have.
Disappointment that our wish wasn’t going to come true was short lived and quickly extinguished with the joy we felt as we watched the tiny dandelion fairies that we had freed carried by the breeze across the yard in search of their new homes.
And besides, it wasn’t like we had to wait a whole year to make another wish like we did with birthday candles. Look Jane, Look! There’s another dandelion ripe for the picking. It’s not like Mom was going to scold us like she did when we picked flowers out of her garden. Mom might make us go to bed before the stars come out to make wishes tonight, but in the meantime there’s plenty more wishes to be made right at our feet.
If any of the above stories have brought back fond memories of your childhood ask yourself one question. “Why aren’t I enjoying these same experiences today?”
You can if you want to. It only requires one thing.
BELIEVE!
Yes my friends… Those were the days!
- 30 -
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