Unpopular Opinion: You Don’t Need To Wish At 11:11
We carry crystals, light candles, draw tarot cards, say affirmations, toss coins into the fountain while not stepping on the cracks in the pavement—but that's not the answer.
By: Sarah Swinwood (Yes, Your Fave)
A dear friend once joked that she was afraid of 11:11. The one-minute event created so much pressure that it paralyzed her. I had a good chuckle. She was kidding around, but the wisdom struck my noggin like a flying comet. When did this numeric pattern collectively drive us to gleefully announce the time or bang out rapid-fire “make a wish” texts?
Let me preface this by saying that I am one of the most mystical and whimsical people you will ever meet. I make wishes all of the time, on numbers aligned on a microwave clock, a bird that flies by, funny license plates, a rock I kicked accidentally. I find fortunes from fortune cookies people have discarded on the ground and keep them in my pocket until I can place them in a bowl with all of the other ones. One July, I saw one of those red envelopes on the ground that people use to give money on Chinese New Year. I pushed it with my toe a little, then decided to pick it up. Inside was a crisp, brand new one-hundred-dollar bill, just sitting there in the middle of the sidewalk.
A block after that, I found an unopened fortune cookie sitting in front of my apartment building. I opened it and the fortune inside said “Think highly of yourself, for the world takes you at your own estimate.” Wow, a hundred-dollar bill in a gift envelope then a message confirming that the world will give me what I think I’m worth? Why not ask for more?