Be Careful What You Wish For

Two men walked into a local pub and took stools at the bar. They were so involved in their conversation they barely noticed the elderly gentleman sitting two stools away. The topic of conversation was how things could have been so much better if only one choice or another had been made differently. How they wished they had chosen an alternate path. During a lull in the conversation the old man spoke up. “I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation, and if you don’t mind, I’d like to tell you a story that might change your perspective on the topic of ‘if only.’ “I promise all that I tell you is true, but when I finish neither one of you will believe any of it.” The two men looked at each other then back at the stranger and motioned for him to continue.

“My story starts on my 31^st birthday. I had just finished a shift driving for Lyft, my part time job, and was finally home. The house was dark except for a night light. Next to the light was a handmade birthday card crafted by my two kids. They were the only bright spots in what had become a very lackluster marriage. I read the card on my way to bed. In childish scrawl was written ‘You have been granted one birthday wish!’ I undressed, placed the card on my nightstand, and crawled into bed without waking my wife. My final thought of the night was ‘I wish I could go back and start over. I would do it all differently’ and promptly fell asleep.”

“My deep sleep was interrupted by a male voice asking me if I was planning on missing morning classes. I groggily opened my eyes and recognized my old college dorm room that I hadn’t seen in ten years. My roommate was gathering his books for class while stepping into his shoes. I stumbled out of bed and immediately walked to the calendar hanging on the wall. The year was ten years prior to the one I had gone to sleep in. It took time, but I eventually worked things out. The birthday wish I was granted had come true; I was starting over!”

“I never re-met my former wife so I never had kids. Instead I joined the military after college and earned my wings. After my enlistment was up I was hired by a company that provided jets for the rich and famous, and spent the next thirty years traveling the world with the jet setters. Of course I never belonged to that group, I was just the transportation. Not having a stable lifestyle made relationships difficult, if not impossible, so I never married. When I had to stop flying due to medical problems, I realized just how alone I was.”

“So here I am today telling two strangers a true story that you probably won’t believe. If there is anything I hope you take away from this it’s be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.” The two men looked at each other, bought the old man another drink and left without saying a word. The old gentleman took a sip of his free drink and thought, “I wish I had never made that wish.”