1. In-ear headphones
2. A pair of soft, white denim pants
3. Two books, On the Road by Jack Kerouac and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, to bring with me on my travels until they are tattered and torn
4. A surfboard
5. Seats at a fashion show
6. Tickets to a Jack's Mannequin concert
7. To snowboard again
8. A train ride across India and a camel ride to see the pyramids
9. To learn how to play my guitar
10. To master Chinese, improve my French, and learn Arabic
11. Perfect vision
12. Time to finish my novel before graduation
13. Occasion to reconnect with the special people I have lost touch with along the way
14. For my parents to lead worry-free lives
15. A second chance to make up for my mistakes and to the people I have wronged
16. The strength to accept the fact that things have changed and some things will never be the same
17. To share the beauty I have witnessed
18. To experience a miracle
19. The courage to be truly thankful for all that I have and all that I am
Of course, there are other things I want, like a yacht in Monaco, peace on earth, or even a complete, true understanding of myself. But I have only lived nineteen years thus far, and have only earned the right to wish for these nineteen mostly-feasible things that I can at least help attain. Someday, I will be forty-two, sixty-five, eighty-eight even, and then I will be able to wish for such things that are currently beyond my grasp.
Until then, I will look forward to Christmases yet to come and smile, knowing that life will only continue to surprise me.
Merry Christmas.
