Be careful what you wish for!

As a caveat going into this story, I was a rather naive child and often wished for stupid things, innocently desiring adventure in my own life, not tragedy in the lives of others.

I grew up watching old black and white movies, many of which were set during WWI, WWII, or the Great Depression. Of course, we all know how Hollywood romanticizes everything. As child, I don't think I realized this. I wanted so much to live through a war and a depression. I so admired the people who survived those times and I wanted the chance to prove I could do it too. I remember being really excited during Desert Storm - I was all of 10 years old and glued to the TV screen. When images of the POWs began to flash on the screen, my view of war changed. The reality of it finally hit me. People get hurt and people die. War is not simply a good setting for a grand adventure. When the next war in Iraq started, I was older and could actually understand the implications. I wanted so much to go over there and be a part of it, and thankfully, had the opportunity to do that. What I didn't realize going into it was how much more real the war would become to me. The places they talk about on the news are places I have seen - I worshiped in those chapels, ran on those streets, worked out in those gyms, ate in those DFACs - they are REAL places. And the people are real too - everyone from the Ugandans who worked checkpoint security, to the KBR employees, the Iraqi police, and the American Soldiers. Suddenly, when I got news reports of bombings, it was no longer a question of numbers for me, but of names. Who was it? Did someone I know just die over there?!

This morning, as I scanned news articles to see what I had missed over the crazy weekend, I saw headlines with phrases like "Black Sunday" and instantly thought of my childhood wish to live through a "great depression." Now that I understand what a depression is and does, I seriously hope it doesn't get anywhere near there. As I read the articles, I could help but think I ought to be more careful about what I wish for because sometimes those wishes come true. Maybe someday I will learn to think about others before I start wishing for a tragedy... or better yet, maybe I will just not wish for tragedy at all. I really have to wonder sometimes, what is WRONG with me?! Right now I am just praying that the current economic downturn will turn around and will not hurt too many people in the process.