Dreams and Wishes

As we all know by now, I have some interesting quirks.  My most common eccentricity is making wishes.  I am incredibly superstitious, and I believe making wishes within myself, they will somehow translate to the world I'm living in.  I also believe if I remember my dreams, they will one day come to fruition, some day.  There's no harm in that.  Dreams really do come true, right?

The children at the hospital have taken notice of my incessant wish making.  The began with the kids noticing my behavior, and asking what I was doing different times of the day. I told them I was making a quick wish.  That sparked their interest even more.  They started asking what types of things I wish for.  Of course, I could tell them my wishes, but I could help them map out potential wishes for them.  I expressed to them that they could write down their wishes, and keep them in a special safe place, only they know about.  I also informed them that they could close their eyes, and make their wish silently.

The kids latched onto the concept of dreams and wishes.  They wanted to know more.  They asked about places they could go to make wishes.  I told them about wishing when you go under a bridge, wishing of four leaf clovers, wishing when all the numbers on the clock are same, and so on.  Lastly I told the children about wishing on stars.  I could see all of their bright, smiling faces go blank.  I saw their little heads drop into their hands.  I was shocked by this change in attitude.  "Was it something I said".  I sat in front of them, looking at their innocent faces.  I few minutes passed and they didn't perk up.  Finally, I just asked what was going on.  One boy looked up and said he has never see stars.  Oh my goodness!  That thought never crossed my mind.  Most of these children are so young, and have been stuck in medical facilities their entire lives.  They have never seen a beautiful night sky.  That got me thinking.

I went to the administration to inquire about putting up glow-in-the-dark stars in their patient room.  I was nervous to hear her answer.  The hospital just built a new-state-of-the-art room for the pediatric cancer patients.  During the construction the children have been staying in their regular room until completion of their new patient area.  To my surprise the administration gave me the go-ahead to execute my design.

I did a lot of research on each planet, the many different moons, stars, and constellations.  I recruited a nurse and two technicians to help me get the room set up, especially with the manual labor.  It took two days to pull it all together.  I didn't want to just slap stickers on the walls and walk away.  I formed constellations with the press on stars, and we painted different space scenes around the room.  I brought in books and magazines that are all space related, so they can identify what we put in the room, and explore other aspects of space.  I'm not gonna lie...the room is pretty stellar!  I'm totally envious.

The charge nurse called me this morning to tell me that the children were moved to their new room.  They were ecstatic by the transformation!  All of the kids were full of energy exploring their new area.  I could hear random screams of "Thank You" in the background.  It was adorable.  I'm so thrilled they like what we accomplished in such a short period of time.

I know there are many people who don't believe in superstition.  Many men and women believe only in what's is tangible, and fact-based.  That may work for some, but what kind of life is that?  I think it is truly important to let our minds absorb the abstract world around us, giving us a hopeful outlook.  How is anyone supposed to have hope if they don't dream?  Dreams provide us with our wishes.  Wishes are a gift to be granted in time.  No two wishes are the same, just like no two stars are the same.  We give our wishes to the stars to hold them until we are ready to receive them.  I can't give the kids the entire night sky, but I'm so happy I was able bring a tiny piece of it to them.