What You Said You Will Do
Get rich, get married and be happy and make others happy...
I had sent my friends and blog-readers on a risk-free wishing spree (read). From an email I mass-forwarded to most everyone in my address book to the off-line IM messages on Yahoo Messenger, the question brought back an amazing volume of replies that are as varied as the people who had sent them to me.
I said I would challenge the casino jackpot on a 25 cent bet and because I will not fail, it is assumed that in my dreamworld, I would win. Then I would share my winnings with an orphanage in Manila, Philippines (the Hospicio de San Jose). Many of my friends sort of thought on the same line: helping and winning jackpots.
To help the needy is one thing my friend Irene from San Diego had always wanted to do. Charity, however requires that you have sufficient resources to fund your goodwill and since she wasn't Princess Di, the endeavor would be a challenge. If she could do it without the chance of failing, definitely she would.
From Paola, my pretty Colombian friend from work : "I will travel to under-developed places and set up something like community centers to teach poor kids to read and write plus other things depending on their educational level....I think that's what I would like to be doing, except that now, I have to worry about my own education.. and visas... and all that bs...."
Remy says she would want to win the jackpot, too but nope, she wasn't sharing it with any charity. She is, without that jackpot, already doing a lot of sharing of her resources to relatives and friends. She is the most generous and thoughtful person you can find and I have been one of the lucky beneficiary of her many gifts through the years.
Today, Dennis sent me his wish via text message to my phone: win the lotto over and over and over and over again. I texted him back, will you share your winnings? He replied almost within the same second: hell, no! And oh, he will also run for president. I forgot, however to ask if it's for a country, company or organization and which.
Bu emails me: "I'd end the war, and order all to care for each other instead; for life is too short, there shouldn't be room for fighting.." but first, I say though, let's get things straightened out between you and the attorney from our grade school egroup.
Self-enrichment goes beyond the monetary. To many, including myself, self-enrichment is synonymous with travelling and seeing the world. Teresa, another friend from work takes it to the extreme, however: "Get into a spaceship and explore the galaxies - as long as it is guaranteed that I will land back to Earth!" I joked her that there might not be too many prospective boyfriend-material outside of this hemisphere, however. Besides, I don't think my wish guarantee will be applicable outside of earth or the Milky Way.
Ludette will see the world as a ballerina. She writes me: "I would have wanted try to be a successful dancer of ballet or jazz; be graceful and share my talent with people. Of course, travel the world & perform. The good thing about being a dancer that you are always fit."
Then there are those who would dare do what they wouldn't try without the no-fail guarantee and there is nothing more high-risk than a marriage contract. Tell me about it, I am the eternal altar dodger, right?
".....a very successful marrriage with the man of my dreams.... " Desiree emails me. I have offered to set up that dream wedding on the beach for her at home in Trinidad. My preliminary concept of how it could be staged is very dreamy but when you ask her if plans were taking off any time soon, she puts up her hands and dismisses me with a, "Talk to the hand girl...". Does it mean that until she gets her wishes answered for a no-fail guarantee, she wouldn't even try? Hmmmm, let me turn the question to C. then.
Remy will also consider marriage and starting her own family. I was surprised because the last time we talked about 'permanent' relationships (last year I think) she told me that she was not yet ready. After I asked her my blog's poll question she confided that she thinks she was now ready to have her own kids, even if it means not getting married (something she can't be sure yet if she's ready). With a sure-win, no-fail clause however, yes, she wouldn't mind taking the plunge now.
And you thought it was just the guys who were afraid of commitment?
Risk-free? Renee will pursue her MBA and set up her own financial services company. I'd tell her though that she could do that very well without the guarantee and I am sure she'd be successful in both. Joseph would: "....invest all my money in a hot stock..." while Vince would open his own business.
On the crossroads of life when we had taken another turn, we wonder what the other road would have led us to. Given the chance to be successful on any given endeavor, Ludette would try venture to see what would have been. She added to her email to me: "The next thing that I would have wanted to try was to have successful business/career in fashion industry/retail. Maybe in the future I can still achieve this goal."
In the same line of making yourself happy and others at the same time, Michael gives me an answer straight from the heart: "Definitely have more girls than I am having now!". That is, of course, not his exact words but rather the censored version - the one that has the G-rating.
I have had so many replies, it's not enough to fit them all in one blog entry. With Sunday being the Superbowl I am sure I'd get more ideas when the M.O. and his friends get together. So maybe a Part II is in the offing?
Thanks all for your contributions!
I had sent my friends and blog-readers on a risk-free wishing spree (read). From an email I mass-forwarded to most everyone in my address book to the off-line IM messages on Yahoo Messenger, the question brought back an amazing volume of replies that are as varied as the people who had sent them to me.
I said I would challenge the casino jackpot on a 25 cent bet and because I will not fail, it is assumed that in my dreamworld, I would win. Then I would share my winnings with an orphanage in Manila, Philippines (the Hospicio de San Jose). Many of my friends sort of thought on the same line: helping and winning jackpots.
To help the needy is one thing my friend Irene from San Diego had always wanted to do. Charity, however requires that you have sufficient resources to fund your goodwill and since she wasn't Princess Di, the endeavor would be a challenge. If she could do it without the chance of failing, definitely she would.
From Paola, my pretty Colombian friend from work : "I will travel to under-developed places and set up something like community centers to teach poor kids to read and write plus other things depending on their educational level....I think that's what I would like to be doing, except that now, I have to worry about my own education.. and visas... and all that bs...."
Remy says she would want to win the jackpot, too but nope, she wasn't sharing it with any charity. She is, without that jackpot, already doing a lot of sharing of her resources to relatives and friends. She is the most generous and thoughtful person you can find and I have been one of the lucky beneficiary of her many gifts through the years.
Today, Dennis sent me his wish via text message to my phone: win the lotto over and over and over and over again. I texted him back, will you share your winnings? He replied almost within the same second: hell, no! And oh, he will also run for president. I forgot, however to ask if it's for a country, company or organization and which.
Bu emails me: "I'd end the war, and order all to care for each other instead; for life is too short, there shouldn't be room for fighting.." but first, I say though, let's get things straightened out between you and the attorney from our grade school egroup.
Self-enrichment goes beyond the monetary. To many, including myself, self-enrichment is synonymous with travelling and seeing the world. Teresa, another friend from work takes it to the extreme, however: "Get into a spaceship and explore the galaxies - as long as it is guaranteed that I will land back to Earth!" I joked her that there might not be too many prospective boyfriend-material outside of this hemisphere, however. Besides, I don't think my wish guarantee will be applicable outside of earth or the Milky Way.
Ludette will see the world as a ballerina. She writes me: "I would have wanted try to be a successful dancer of ballet or jazz; be graceful and share my talent with people. Of course, travel the world & perform. The good thing about being a dancer that you are always fit."
Then there are those who would dare do what they wouldn't try without the no-fail guarantee and there is nothing more high-risk than a marriage contract. Tell me about it, I am the eternal altar dodger, right?
".....a very successful marrriage with the man of my dreams.... " Desiree emails me. I have offered to set up that dream wedding on the beach for her at home in Trinidad. My preliminary concept of how it could be staged is very dreamy but when you ask her if plans were taking off any time soon, she puts up her hands and dismisses me with a, "Talk to the hand girl...". Does it mean that until she gets her wishes answered for a no-fail guarantee, she wouldn't even try? Hmmmm, let me turn the question to C. then.
Remy will also consider marriage and starting her own family. I was surprised because the last time we talked about 'permanent' relationships (last year I think) she told me that she was not yet ready. After I asked her my blog's poll question she confided that she thinks she was now ready to have her own kids, even if it means not getting married (something she can't be sure yet if she's ready). With a sure-win, no-fail clause however, yes, she wouldn't mind taking the plunge now.
And you thought it was just the guys who were afraid of commitment?
Risk-free? Renee will pursue her MBA and set up her own financial services company. I'd tell her though that she could do that very well without the guarantee and I am sure she'd be successful in both. Joseph would: "....invest all my money in a hot stock..." while Vince would open his own business.
On the crossroads of life when we had taken another turn, we wonder what the other road would have led us to. Given the chance to be successful on any given endeavor, Ludette would try venture to see what would have been. She added to her email to me: "The next thing that I would have wanted to try was to have successful business/career in fashion industry/retail. Maybe in the future I can still achieve this goal."
In the same line of making yourself happy and others at the same time, Michael gives me an answer straight from the heart: "Definitely have more girls than I am having now!". That is, of course, not his exact words but rather the censored version - the one that has the G-rating.
I have had so many replies, it's not enough to fit them all in one blog entry. With Sunday being the Superbowl I am sure I'd get more ideas when the M.O. and his friends get together. So maybe a Part II is in the offing?
Thanks all for your contributions!