Time Enough to Appreciate

This is a simple prompt on the surface, complicated by the fact that it limits you to one wish. If there were the usual three things would be much easier. Unlimited money would be nice but who knows what effect it would have on you? A bad one if the parade of appalling billionaires and politicians currently are any guide. Extra time in terms of an extended life again is tempting but I have read enough stories to know that the quality adjusted life years would be a poor return for that extra lifespan! Genies have a way of punishing the wisher for self serving wishes like those.

The wish I would make is for the gift of true appreciation for the wonder of life. I would love the gift of properly appreciating life’s special moments at the time not in retrospect. This is something I am working on but it is a slow process after years of not really appreciating my good fortune because bad things or frustrating things were happening as well. I would also like the gift of those moments to go more slowly, again something I am working on. I want to be able to take in the details as fully and deeply as possible so I can take myself back to those moments. When I meditate using the Calm App the thing I can’t do is guided visualisation. If I am told to imagine a beach or a forest I can’t. There’s no ability to bring them to mind and immerse myself in the created visualisation. I sit there looking at a half formed picture that is of no use at all.

OK genie, I am ready to tell you my wish and I am going to make it as specific as possible.

I would like you to grant me the ability to fully appreciate the good things in life at the time by immersing myself in those moments, slowing down time and recalling them in vivid detail afterwards.