Be Careful What You Wish For

We used to wish for a lot of things.

I hate battling the traffic every day. Wouldn’t it be nice if the traffic went away?

I hate that guy at work who talks to his girlfriends on the phone all day. Wouldn’t it be nice if I wasn’t so close to him?

I hate doing all my shopping on the weekends when there are always giant crowds at the malls. Wouldn’t it be nice if shopping could be done without traffic and parking congestion?

I hate it when my favorite restaurant has an hour wait. Wouldn’t it be nice if I could just go in and find a good table?

I hate having to decide what to wear each day. Did I wear that tie last Thursday?

I never get to see my kids and when I do it is always so hurried. Wouldn’t it be nice to spend more time with them?

I never have enough time to (fill in the blank)_________. Wouldn’t it be nice if I had time to reorganize my closets, pick all those weeds in the garden, do puzzles, make-out with my girlfriend, etc.

Enough? Point made?

It used to be very easy and vivid to describe all that was missing and/or stressful in our modern lives. The list of things was easy and large. That’s life, we would comment and agree. But then, wouldn’t it be nice if . . . 

So here we are! Our commute time is measured from the time it takes to move from the bedroom to the laptop. Traffic is measured by the number of kids you hop over to get to your laptop. Your office mates are clustered and sequestered, like you, behind walls in houses and apartments spread over the nation. Like your work, you shop with your fingers on your trusty laptop. You never have to wait in line at restaurants. Your family sees each other so much that you can read each other’s minds. You have now done every conceivable task around your house, and you have eaten your way through two belt sizes. Luckily, your sweatpants are capable of expanding easily to size 50. No one will remember how many times you wore the gray ones or even notice the gravy stains.

Clearly, we are getting what we wished for. But it’s like that guy who broke his arm and prayed to God that his arms would again be the same. So, God broke his second arm.

The lesson is that when we wish for things, we need to be more thoughtful and complete in our wishes.

But let’s face it. Nothing ever changes. The problem is not Covid-19 and it isn’t stressful lives – the problem is us. It is our nature to see the glass half empty. It is our nature—no matter how many beautiful things are going on in our lives – to focus on the negatives. 

We pray each night for our former lives to return. Why? Did we already forget how much we stressed out over calendars and traffic and jobs?

Not really, but we are always looking for that Holy Grail. And always forgetting that the Holy Grail comes with its own complications and challenges. There used to be a TV shows back in the 50s called “The Millionaire.” Apparently, if most of us jokers get a bunch of money, it always comes with problems – big problems.

So what do we do now? No one can predict and control what’s happening with health and jobs and incomes. I am not making light of Covid adjustments. But I am saying that we can’t really control those circumstances. We can, however, control our own minds and bodies. We can try to adjust to the harshest of impacts and at the same time cherish and value all the good parts of our new lives.

Hug your family. Exploit your talents. Stand near an expressway and marvel at the lack of cars. Order something from Amazon. Order burgers and tacos for pick-up, enjoy those sweat pants, kiss your Covid girlfriend.

Soon enough, the world will be full of cars zooming everywhere, parking lots with no spaces, kids going to ballet, soccer, and transcendental mediation classes. Embrace the present. Deep breaths. Enjoy. 😊