Wondering What I Would Do If I Had Three Wishes

"What would you do if you had three wishes?” is an age-old question that dates back to Arabian tales involving genies and magic lamps. The legend allows the master of the lamp any three requests except more wishes. In college, during boring lectures, I used to ponder what I would wish for.

Slowly Sinking To The Bottom Of A Swimming Pool

There is a peaceful solitude to submerging in a pool and hanging around at the bottom for a while. Water diffuses sound, so whatever noise is occuring above the surface becomes calmed and muted below. The sensation of floating and the rapid micro-bubbles that flit around your body add to the zen-like experience.

Rubbing My Feet Together In Bed

Every night as I am lying in bed about to fall asleep, I find myself rubbing my feet together underneath the blankets. The warmth it generates, along with the comfortable sensation of grazing the sensitive bottoms of my feet, creates a lull that sends me off to slumber.

Closely Inspecting Crystals Of Sand On The Beach

There is a micro-world to every object, which we seldom notice in the course of our efficient lives. If you look closely at the immediate surroundings of a blade of grass in a field, for instance, you will find a lot more than just other grass: a tiny white mineral deposit, a yellow thread that has peeled off a nearby aging stalk, an industrious ant scaling a three-leaf clover. It is kind of interesting to think that this blade of grass’ entire existence has been ignored by every other person on Earth except for you.

Having A Really, Really Good Dream

A philosopher once wrote “If a pauper were to dream he was a king for half his life, and a king were to dream he was a pauper for half his life, then there would be no difference between the two.”

Buying Fritos From A Vending Machine

You know how songs sound better on the radio than they do on CDs? There’s just something special about the fact that the song is being played right at that moment, that it can’t be rewound or repeated. Well, it’s the same with buying Fritos from a vending machine. In contrast to supermarket-sized bags, which are large enough to satisfy whatever urge for Fritos you may have, vending machine bags are small and half filled with air, so you have to savor every salty, delicious chip - and it’s over before you know it.

Staring Up At Something That’s Really High

Looking way, way up is enjoyable in much the same way as looking far, far away. It allows you to view things that are larger than yourself in a more conceptual and complete way. Looking up is better than looking far, however, because it requires you to tilt your head back (which is sort of relaxing) and focus your eyes in a direction they typically don’t look. Very high objects also tend to have a majestic, unreachable quality to them due to the fact that they can’t be physically touched. The stars and the tops of skyscrapers are examples.

Sneezing

As long as it’s not induced by a cold or allergies, sneezing is a forgotten pleasure. If I could sneeze more often, I would. Not only does it relieve that pestery nasal tickle, it gives you a light head buzz and leaves you feeling oddly unburdened.

Looking At Colorful, Glittery Objects

Any five year-old girl can attest to the fact that sparkly things are more fun than dull, monochromatic things. Take a stroll through any toy store and witness the popularity of shimmery playthings.

The appeal of glittery objects is rudimentary, almost instinctual. The eye naturally takes notice of bright, rapidly-changing stimuli. Perhaps it relates back to the evolutionary importance of the sun for growing and cultivating purposes. Whatever the reason, I find myself transfixed by sparkling objects all the time.