Make a wish
by Dorothy Lie
I closed my eyes and envisioned the Cinderella snow globe that consumed by innermost desires; then, I flipped the coin.
Little did my naive 5-year-old mind anticipate that in the next few days, I would be utterly disappointed when, in fact, there was no snow globe to be found anywhere within my possessions.
Frustration ensued as I wondered whether I had preformed the task properly. I questioned my parents, who had assured me in the beginning of the legitimacy of the action, and was dismayed when they confessed that it was only a superstition.
I admit, my belief in the practice of throwing coins in a fountain in order to make a wish come true wavered only for a moment; however, I quickly regained my spirits, resumed my flipping coin practice, and patiently waited for that one day I’d finally get my Cinderella snow globe.
Despite external influences that conflicted with my beliefs, I decided to persist in my wishing faith. Years later, when I had almost given up on my first coin wish, my brother approached my sisters and me with a souvenir bag from Disneyland, and pulled out three Disney princess picture frames. Attached to the picture frames, were tiny snow globes with a theme that related to the corresponding princess figure on the frame…mine happened to be Cinderella.
It was not what I had imagined; but I was jubilant nonetheless.
After this experience I continued my wishing custom in confidence, and made countless wishes in every fountain I encountered. I was ecstatic to even have the opportunity to wish at the famed Trevi fountain in Rome. Making wishes brought numerous nostalgic memories like the snow globe experience, and our family trip to stay at The Venetian in Las Vegas. At 12 in the morning, I had attempted to skip coins at the fountain after I had already made my wish, and everyone laughed when my coins failed to travel more than 9 inches from my hand.
As time went on, I observed that while most kids waited for their birthdays and Christmastime to make their wishes, I was able to make wishes all year round.
I didn’t always get everything I wished for, but that just meant that the appreciation for the wishes that did come true grew even more.
There is a sense of comfort and innocence during childhood, a belief in the pure ability to invest hope that good things can happen in the world, whether it be believing in Santa, the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny, or even wishing with a coin.
So readers, when little brothers, sisters, and cousins fantasize about a magical world full of happiness and cheer, I encourage you to play along, and reminisce about your childhood imaginations. You’re not only making their childhood experiences memorable, you’re also helping them put into practice the concept of dreaming and understanding what one wants, which is essential to forming realistic and concrete goals and aspirations in the future.
Despite the fact that I’m older now, and understand that the idealism of wishing for something without making an effort to make that wish come true is unrealistic, my tradition of tossing coins into fountains and betting on my dreams coming true now not only serves as a constant reminder of what I want to accomplish, it also gives me the motivation to work harder in order to achieve those goals.
I still participate in the practice of wishing, whether it be on 11:11, a star, an eyelash, or even on the simple flip of a coin. I have come to realize that my habit of making wishes should not be considered a superstition; these aspirations will develop through diligent effort, and become reality in their time.