#63 Be Careful What You Wish For

Did you ever watch Are you Afraid of the Dark? I did, and did again recently when the nostalgic, cheesy series popped up on my Netflix. Like most shows for pre-adolescents, each episode, while entertaining and often frightening, has a moral. And yes, I'm about to admit that my 28-year-old self learned from the moral in an Are you Afraid of the Dark? episode.

The Twisted Claw (source).

In The Tale of the Twisted Claw, the neighbourhood witch (every small town has one) grants two young boys three wishes. Only, each wish results in undesired consequences. Finally, the boys learn their lesson and wish they were never granted any wishes, and were suddenly happy with their lives just as they were.

That makes sense, right? Like, who hasn't heard the proverbial saying 'be careful what you wish for'?

I had, but I welcomed the reminder. A lot has changed for me in the past 6 months, and I spent a lot of time dwelling on what sucks about the way things are. First, I wanted my own office. When I got it, I missed chatting cross-cubicle about the the most recent Mad Men episode. I wanted a job with more responsibility. After getting a promotion, I've struggled with stress, anxiety, and being solely responsible for an overwhelming amount of projects. I hated sharing the car with my sister. Now I have my own car, and pay exorbitant monthly, auto insurance fees and have to take the car to the mechanic when something goes wrong.

I reflected on this process and realized what Are you Afraid of the Dark? preached: the greedy, needy part of me that wants everything to be perfect all the time will never be satisfied. Conversely, if I accept that circumstances constantly change and what I hate today could be what I love tomorrow, wouldn't I save myself a lot of heartache by simply focusing on what I love today?

Ok. So, what do I love today? I have a private office that promotes efficiency and colleagues who love to go out for coffee. I have a job when unemployment is high and the market is competitive. I have a car of my very own that takes me to Milton and back to visit family.

And just like that, my burdens become boons. Wow. My life is actually an Are you Afraid of the Dark? episode. Without the creepy, neighbourhood witch, thankfully.