Three Wishes

If I found a genie in a lamp, I’d easily have three wishes to ask for. The first would be to remove Donald Trump from office and provide our nation with a leader who cares about human beings more than his ego and accessible healthcare more than a ridiculous wall. The second would be a personal hygienist who comes to my house every day and cleans my family’s teeth. There’s nothing better than plaque-less, pearly whites, cavity protection, and never having to watch my children experience dental decay like I have. The third would be a wish for you.

My wish for you is to free you from the chains, and the burden, of technology, which fuels you and takes away the quiet. I would ask the genie for a lifetime, a year, a month, or even just a week, where you do not have a screen in front of your face, in your hand, on your wrist,  or even in your pocket. I'd wish for a time when you are not checking four email accounts simultaneously on your laptop and your phone, while also watching TV. I'd wish for a day where technology doesn’t interrupt you when looking me in the eye, or take your attention away from your children showing you their tumbling moves or a picture they've colored. I'd wish for moments when you can not be taken away from the feeling of sunshine on your face, or your child’s hand in yours, or the sound of a stream after a rain storm as you walk in the woods, because of a gentle buzz asking for something, everything, from you. I'd wish for a time when you can stop feeling the pressure of saying yes to those on the other end of --wherever, and starting saying yes when you are asked to play a game or go for a walk, or simply asked to listen to a story that serves you for no other reason than being present. I'd wish for you to remember what it’s like to be bored or idle, and how quickly you can move to a place of creativity and energy just by being with yourself.

I'd wish you had time to find the space between the moments and to leisurely explore the cracks in your life without filling them with the noise and expectation that comes with always being connected to the outside world.

I'd wish for you to remember how to process information from taking in the physical things around you, not just from the screen in front of you. I'd wish, for you, a day without CNN, Huffington Post and Vice News racing to tell you the latest tragedy or celebrity baby birth.

I'd wish for you to experience not knowing what’s going on in the world, in your neighborhood or at your job. Not in a dangerous way, because you care too much about these things and I admire you for it. Just long enough for you to learn that things carry on, and while they’ll all miss you, they’ll be ok until you return.

I'd wish for a time when you lift your head up so you don’t develop that extra bone at the top of your spine, and instead you see, you smell, you touch, and you feel beyond the quick, and fleeting reinforcement that comes from being needed by a screen. Because, it doesn't need you. You need it. And I need you. I'd wish for a time when you realize you are loved and respected and validated by us, your family- your friends-and that our love and respect was all you needed to be happy. And if you care to be so daring, we can share all of this love and respect with you, in real time, in the flesh.

When I find the genie, I will be sure to ask for these wishes and I will be so happy to say good bye to Trump and hello to clean teeth and maybe you can let me join you on that screen-less adventure because I wish for it for me, too.