Forty-seven wishes

1. For Will to continue maximizing his potential.

2. To keep on embracing the true essence of myself.

3. To continue on the path to being healthy, both internally and externally.

4. Contentment

5. To only have one mortgage. Please. Only one mortgage.

6. Health for my family and loved ones.

7. Happiness for my family and loved ones.

8. To spend some quality time with those I love.

9. To carve out time to be creative in my own way.

10. To make our house a home.

11. A really relaxing, rejuvenating vacation.

12. A decent night’s sleep.

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: NFC South champs.

14. The ability to raise one sardonic eyebrow.

15. Tampa Bay Rays: AL Wild Card winner.

16. To hear the words “Jon Hamm, Party of Two” and be one of the two

17. A continued strengthening of my self-esteem.

18. The sudden appearance of an organizational gene in me. Please? I ask for this every year. Hope continues to spring eternal.

19. To spend quality time with those who aren't family by blood but family by choice.

20. To see snow this year. Preferably falling on the mean streets of Manhattan.

21. To be less guarded.

22. To get out of the house more.

23. To hear live music more frequently.

24. To tell the ones I love that I love them with greater frequency

25. To embrace my roles at church and serve with faith, grace and humbleness.

26. To control and manage my stress in a constructive manner.

27. A more tolerant, accepting, respectful, gentler society.

28. To have a week when my nails don’t look like a gorilla is my manicurist.

29. More than one decent night’s sleep in a row.

30. Longer legs and less wide feet (Hey, these are my wishes. They don’t have to be practical. Or feasible.)

31. To be more vulnerable.

32. To engage in some continuing education activities. No stagnating!

33. For more good hair days than bad hair days.

34. To be a good friend.

35. To find some dependable babysitters. (see Wish #22)

36. To make and cultivate new friendships.

37. To read more.

38. To make progress with my myriad scrapbooking/genealogy projects. That's the fun stuff, y'all.

39. To actually grow a plant successfully. Outside. (my aerogarden does not count.) Without killing it.

40. To be the best choir urchin director I can be.

41. To learn one new skill.

42. To hear the words “Copeland (as in Stewart), Party of Two” and be one of the two.

43. To make a difference for the good in my world.

44. To FINALLY do that karaoke thing.

45. To be kinder and not so hard on myself.

46. To celebrate a success everyday. I tend to focus on what went wrong rather than what went right. Call it the Glass Half Full Philosophy.

47. To have the chance to make 48 wishes the same time next year.