I Dream Of Jeannie, Samantha, Sabrina...

Since I was a little girl, I have wanted to have magical powers. When I was a child, I wanted them only because it was cool. I Dream of Jeannie. Bewitched. Sabrina the Teenage Witch. These are the magical women I grew up on. Having been born in Salem, Massachusetts, only exacerbated this desire. What I would do with such magical powers was undefined, however. After all, what does a small girl - one with a happy family life - really need in life?

Today, however, I know exactly what I would wish for.

I wouldn't wish for unlimited wealth. While it would be nice to have enough money not to have to work anymore, most of the time I like working. If I did have enough money that I didn't need to work, I would definitely do a great deal of volunteer work. I can't imagine just sitting around "eating bonbons".

I wouldn't wish for the perfect guy, though that would be tempting. But would it last? Would the wish wear off and he become not perfect? It's something that I would worry about. Because I'm not sure I would believe in that kind of wish. In that kind of luck.

I would wish for the ability to get home from work instantly. To be able to blink and be home. Or wiggle my nose. Or whatever Sabrina did to invoke magic. I live 5 miles from work. Somehow the morning commute is almost never a problem (with the exception of when a water main broke off the side of the Beltway). But the afternoon/evening commute - painful! Tonight, that 5 miles took 45 minutes. Since I run a mile in 11 minutes, I could almost have made it home faster by running. That's ridiculous. It shouldn't take me longer to drive than it would to run. At a normal time of the year, my drive home is usually about 20 minutes. Still a long time for 5 miles. But this time of the year, commuting becomes even more painful. Because my office is in Tysons Corner - across the street from one mall and next to another. So in addition to the usual traffic - all the rest of the people heading home from work, same as me - there are the shoppers. I have tried various routes to avoid getting near the mall. But since I'm not the only one who thinks of these things, others use these alternate routes as well. Hence a 45-minute commute.

So I wish for magic to get me home. Blink. Twitch. Nod.