Wishing Upon An Eyelash

RA’s request for a memory-based post got me thinking about childhood, growing up, and all those things we do as kids that we are expected to eventually grow out of as adults. You know what I’m talking about, right? Licking the beaters after making cookies, waking up at the crack of dawn on Christmas morning, wishing on fallen eyelashes.  These are all things most of us did as kids, and they’re all things that “grown-ups” aren’t expected to still be doing. Now that we’re “adults,” we’re supposed to know the risk of salmonella and stay away from raw batter, we’re supposed to sleep in on Christmas because we know for a fact whether or not Santa came down our chimney during the night, and we’re supposed to know better than to think making a wish and blowing an eyelash off your finger is going to do any good whatsoever.

I’m supposedly all grown-up. I have a bachelor’s degree, a career, a house, a husband, and a dog. I pay all my own bills and handle things like car trouble and broken appliances on my own, only occasionally needing to call my parents for advice. But those childhood habits up there that I’m suposed to have grown out of? I still do them.

I’ve heard all the horror stories about salmonella and raw eggs, but all I really care about is how delicious that little bit of batter on the beaters tastes once I’ve got the cookies in the oven. It’s never made me sick in all the years I’ve been doing it, so why stop now?

I wake up earlier on Christmas now than I ever did as a kid. My parents used to have to wake my brother and me up on Christmas mornings when we were younger because we’d always sleep in. But sometime when I was in high school I started getting that giddy feeling kids have and having a hard time sleeping at all on Christmas Eve. Now I intentionally stay up as late as I can on the 24th so that I’ll hopefully be tired enough to sleep until at least 7am on Christmas. (Typically the rest of the house isn’t interested in being up until at least 8, so this way I only have an hour to kill in the morning.) It doesn’t always work, though. Some years I still wake up at 5 and have no hope of getting back to sleep. I’m not so much excited about all the presents as I am for the day itself. Christmas is always such a fun day, filled with good food, lots of laughter, and tons of quality family time. What’s not to be excited about?

Wishing on eyelashes is probably one of my favorite childhood habits. It all seemed to magical when I was younger. Eyelashes don’t fall off every day, you know. But on that rare occassion that they did, it was like fate was telling me that this was the moment — this very second is when I can wish for the cute boy in class to come talk to me, and now more than any other moment in time is when my wish has the greatest chance of coming true. Of course, those eyelash wishes never came true. At least not as a result of the work of any magical eyelash faries. I know that the act of wishing on an eyelash doean’t have any effect on what actually happens in life. But that doesn’t stop me from gently picking up an eyelash that has fallen to my cheek while I’m getting ready for work, closing my eyes, murmuring a wish that the lesson Tim is teaching that day will go well, and blowing the eyelash off my finger so it can drift away to whatever eyelash wish granters may be waiting for it. The eyelash wish may not actually help Tim teach his lesson, but maybe, just maybe, that moment I took to think good things for him will.

Maybe it’s childish to hang on to these old habits. Maybe I should finish growing up and leave my childish ways behind. But I’m not going to. Because holding on to these habits and the memories associated with them brings a little bit more joy to my life. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

November 20, 2007 | Filed Under NaBloPoMo 07, Nostalgia 

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10 Responses to “Wishing Upon An Eyelash”

  1. Stephanie on November 20th, 2007

    I still wish on eyelashes and make my husband do the same. He had never heard of it! What?!

    I also do the knot in a straw wrapper thing. Not sure if this is as common as the wish on eyelashes.

    And I still get giddy over snow. We got 3.5 inches this weekend and I was breaking out my snowboots and gloves. So what if I am 26!

  2. Laurel on November 20th, 2007

    I can never stay in bed on Christmas morning. Even though Santa only brings me socks and underwear these days, I’m still excited to sit in the family room and see what’s in my stocking!

  3. Jessie on November 20th, 2007

    I do those things still too – except for the batter thing currently because of the baby. Even my husband wishes on eyelashes, and he definitely wishes that I’d sleep in later that 5:30 or 6:00 on Christmas morning.

  4. Anna on November 20th, 2007

    I still wish on eyelashes too.

    Like you said, the wish part might not make a difference, but taking the time to think good thoughts probably will.

    I also make a wish when there are matching numbers (2:22 or 12:34) on the clock.

  5. Cat on November 20th, 2007

    Oooh, I still eat all the raw batter- cookies, cake, etc. Yum!

    (And I still wish on eyelashes, too.)

  6. Erin on November 20th, 2007

    I am always wide awake Christmas morning! It’s fun to have that childhood magic…plus, who really wants to grow up?

  7. SJ on November 20th, 2007

    I wish on eyelashes, eat batter off the beaters,and hold my legs up when crossing over traintracks. The kid in me will never go away. NEVER.

  8. alyndabear on November 21st, 2007

    I still wish on eyelashes. All the cool people wish on eyelashes, don’t you know? ;)

  9. Dirka on November 21st, 2007

    Anything that brings us joy is worth it!

  10. the real jessie but secretly kat at work on November 21st, 2007

    are you going eyelash bald or something? i don’t know if i’ve ever noticed one falling out if it didn’t land in my eye.

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