Day 54: Gave Away Free Wishes UPDATE!!

As a child, if I went past a fountain, I would beg my mom for a coin so that I could make a wish. Anytime I saw a clock that read 11:11, I made a wish. I pretty much cleared my back yard of dandelions because I would blow the seeds away and make hundreds of wishes. Many times, I wanted to blow out the candles at other kids' birthday parties, simply because I wanted the opportunity to make as many wishes as possible. No matter what, I always had the hope that my wishes could come true. Even though I never met Michael Jordan, won all the money on Earth, or gained super powers, I never stopped wishing...until recently. I started thinking about my life and how since meeting my wife and being blessed with my daughter, combined with the rest of my friends and family, that wishing for anything more than the love that I have from/for them would just be selfish.

One of my goals in the mission is to try to inspire hope in others. Hope that the world can be a kinder place, that things will get better, and that, even if they are in ways you didn't imagine, wishes do come true. So today, for my random act of kindness, I want to do something small to remind everyone of the little kid inside of them who wished for big things and always had hope that they would come true. Today, I am going to take a jar full of pennies, stand in front of a fountain in downtown Chicago with a sign that says "Free Wishes" and allow people to take a penny and make a wish. I know from experience that a single Penny can have a huge impact on your life. Maybe the pennies I give out today will have that same impact for others. So even if, like Skee Lo above, people wish they were a little bit taller, wish they were a baller, or wish they had a girl who looked good so they could call her, they will get their opportunity today.

UPDATE: So I learned a couple of things today. First, Chicago's Water Tower Place really hates when people throw coins into their fountain. It apparently clogs the drains and they don't allow it. Second, every outdoor fountain I know of in the city is covered for the winter or has the water turned off. As you could imagine, this somewhat hindered my plans. However, I am not easily derailed and continued with my mission to give people free wishes. I took a jar and my handy "Free Wishes" sign and posted near a busy intersection during rush hour. I then passed out pennies to whomever wanted one, make a wish on it, and place it in my jar. I made each person the promise that I will deliver the pennies to a fountain once they are re-opened. People weren't as receptive to the free wishes as they were to the hugs. I think people thought that it was a creative way to ask for change even though that wasn't my plan. All in all, I was able to get about 30+ wishes that I will surely deliver to a fountain as soon as possible.