The Wish Whisker

I have always been a firm believer in wish making. At 11:11, on every dandelion and every lost eyelash, I very seriously and with an honest conviction, make a wish. For example, TMI, amongst his dark roguish scruff, has a small tiny hair near the corner of his mouth that has a white tip. Naturally I immediately ascribed it with terrible wish granting power. I kiss it gently with my eyes closed and beg, beg, for happiness; for a successful lasting relationship; for a visa, for a way back to France..

Here in Dijon there is a famous landmark called the chouette. It's a little misshapen image on the corner of the Notre Dame cathedral that sort of looks like an owl. It's famous for its wish giving powers if the wish-maker remembers to follow the proper protocol: to place their left hand on the owl and face towards the front of the church. I walk by this beautiful cathedral nearly every day and I almost always find reason to make a very serious wish. I've also managed to convince myself that every wish I've ever made has come true and the owl's power is indisputable and without question. And for the really big wishes, the ones that take more than a few moments, I've decided that you can actually go into the church and sit down to make it. This summons such incredible wishing magic from the chouette and the greater powers that be that there is no way the wish will go unheard.

Today was one of those days. I placed my hand on the ice cold chouette, and, afterwords, just to make sure, I went inside. With every ounce of my being I wished to be happy. I wished for my relationship to make it even with all the obstacles ahead of us.

But then, tonight, something overdue occurred to me. Regardless of what you believe of higher powers, a Goddess, a God, a wish granting chouette, the idea of a higher power of any kind is that it is omnipresent. The same power that I have given to the little owl on the Notre Dame cathedral exists inside of me as much as it exists in eye lashes, holy relics, and ancient cathedrals. I can make a wish on me. And, unlike the stone chouette or TMI's wish whisker, I can do something about it.

So tonight, for the first time, I started a wish with my name. And I asked myself to see me through the storm. And, unlike my other wishes, this time there was a response. "Yes."