I know it has been a few days since 11-11-11, and I would have posted earlier if I hadn't been so busy with school and work.
Anyways, I, like many others, chose to make a wish at both 11:11 times on that day. And I couldn't help but ask myself why.
First of all, what is a wish? I can be many things to many different people. To me, a wish is a deep desire that my heart has. One that I feel strongly enough that I'm willing to wish on a star, or a sunset, or in this case, a unique and symbolic date and time.
Of course, I often feel a bit childish for continuing to believe in wishes. But then, I began to think more about it. Obviously, making a wish such as I did on 11-11-11, I would have probably drawn the ridicule of certain people. Many would have others believe that wishes are childish and foolish. And that they have no effect on what happens in real life.
Either way, I'm not going to go around telling people that they do have an effect. I'm not really sure whether to believe they do or not. But I can't help but hold on to the childlike belief that they do indeed come true.
And even then, why wouldn't one want to keep that sort of childlike belief? While many people dismiss characteristics of children as largely un-adultlike, I can't help but disagree. Now, I'm not going to go around saying that acting like a child is not a bad thing. However, maintaining some childlike innocence is something that anyone and everyone should strive for. I mean, belief in such a small thing as wishes can give life a much deeper purpose.
I was encouraged even more by my friend's participation in my "wish ceremony," which really involved nothing more than writing a wish on a sheet of paper and burning it, in the hope that the smoke would carry the wishes skyward.
I had hoped to have come up with a bit more elaborate ceremony, but I suppose a lone wish alongside my best friend isn't such a bad thing either.
Even more encouraging was the aftermath. When I left my friend's house later in the evening, I had a chance to see a rare sight. The moon was ringed by a halo. You heard me right. When the conditions are just right, a ring of light will appear around the moon. I'm not going to ruin the moment by getting too scientific about it, but it was there. And it made me think... perhaps things might just be starting to turn in the right direction for me. Perhaps my ultimate wish will finally come true.
And what is that wish, you ask? Well, as always, I can't tell.
