The Wishing Bowl

We've passed by this sign more than a few times on our way to get groceries and I love it's simple (and non-monetary) charm. Now let's fast forward to this past Friday when Gamma Rita and I dragged two reluctant boys in rain-boots and rain-jackets out in the rain for a walk. It was fairly clear that these days are long gone from the get-go. Seth was rather... surly and Nate wasn't too impressed either – he kept singing "Rain, Rain, Go Away" in a most despairing way all along the walk home.* 

And so, for the first time, we stopped at the sign and explained about wishes and how the Wishing Bowl worked. I was fully expecting both boys would wish it would stop raining or that we were back at home or some such (and so was Gamma Rita) but they went with more predictable choices (in retrospect).

Seth said "a car!" and Nate decided "a book!" was where it was at. Gamma Rita (who was the champion of all things magical when I was a child) let the boys know it might take "up to three days" for a wish to come true, but to be on the look-out and then kicked me out of the house the next day in search of a car and a book.

We hid them under the boys' pillows for them to find after their bath last night and I was still working out the logistics of how to get them to "accidentally" look under there when Seth helped me out by legitimately accidentally discovering Nate's surprise. After that it was game on:

Of course Nate had his book unwrapped in less than 5 seconds and was happily bouncing around before I managed to take more than 2 shots:

Seth took a little longer, but then again a car (specifically a prized new pick-up truck) is hard to wrap and thus harder to unwrap:

– I think I need a little help with this now.

My boys showing off their wished-for goods: 

Nate was a bit reluctant because what he really wanted to be doing was playing with the wrapping paper (which he promptly did), but I think it's pretty clear the Wishing Bowl actually delivering blew at least one 3-and-a-half year old's mind:

– My mind is officially blown everyone. 

 

- L.

*The weather did in fact clear up just after we got home at which point Nate concluded he was AWESOME and in possession of some magical anti-rain powers. And who knows? Maybe he is. I plan to put him on singing detail the next time it's raining just in case.

PS. My boys let me know today that they have more wishes in the works "when my book/car gets old". Oh dear. I had to explain that proper Wishing Bowls are hard to come by and it might be a very long time before we come across another one, but if and when we do we can all make another wish. And with that said, I will need to find another route to the grocery store tout suite (or at the very least walk on the opposite side of the street from now on).