“Well, I’m only telling you this because you’ve been kind to me,” he said. “How do I know what
happiness means to you? If you’re making a wish you need to be specific. When you’re feeling hap-
pier, what do you want to be thinking? What do you want to be feeling? What do you want to be
doing that is different from what you’re doing now?”
“Well, I don’t want to think about Mom and Dad fighting all the time.”
“Wrong,” said the genie. “Remember yesterday, I told you it is better to make wishes about what
you want, than what you don’t want. What do you want to be thinking?”
“I want to look forward to coming home after school, to enjoy time with my friends, to think
fun thoughts.”
“Good, that’s getting better,” said the genie. “Then how are you going to do them?”
“Wait a minute,” said the girl. “Aren’t you the genie? Aren’t you supposed to make them happen
for me?”
“You wait a minute,” said the genie in reply. “I’ve been shut up in that damn lamp for longer
than I can remember. I haven’t eaten, I’ve hardly slept, I’ve been seasick, I’ve had no friends, and I
haven’t had a chance to practice my magic. Granting wishes is like anything else. You stop training
for a sport and you lose your fitness. You stop studying and you forget what you learned. If you want
these things, you have to do a bit of the work yourself.
“Look,” he continued, “remember the way you were walking along the beach last night, head
down, kicking your toes into the sand, occupied with all your worries? How about next time you
walk the beach you lift your head up, look at the colors in the water and sky, see what delights the
tide has washed up, listen to the sounds of the waves, feel the sand underneath your feet, paddle your
feet in the cool water, and let yourself enjoy the experience of what’s happening?
“I hate to admit this, but even genies know there are some things we can’t change... and some
that we can. Our own thoughts, feelings, and actions are among the things that we can change. To
do so, you need to practice and practice and practice—just like I need to practice my magic, or soon
forget how.”
The girl nodded. He might be a grouch, but he was a sensible grouch.
“One more thing,” he said. “If you want this wish to happen, then you have to decide when
you’re going to do the things to make it happen. It isn’t any good just sitting around waiting for magic
to happen. So, when are you going to do something about it?”
“I’ll go for another beach walk this afternoon,” she said, “and do what you suggest.”
And she did, carrying the genie in his lamp inside her schoolbag as she walked.
That night she fed the genie again and went to sleep thinking, carefully, about what her third
wish would be.
The big bowl of porridge she prepared for the genie in the morning was neither good enough
nor big enough, so she cooked bacon and eggs, hash browns, and pancakes until his mood seemed a
bit better. She waited her time to ask her third wish, thinking she had learned a lot about wishes and
should get it right this time.
“I wish that you would stay with me forever and keep granting my wishes.”
“Good try,” said the genie, and she saw him laugh for the first time. “You can’t wish for some-
thing you can’t have. I can only grant you three wishes, and that is the deal. But if you do what you’ve
done already, it will be as good as having me around for the rest of your life. You don’t have to be
limited to just three wishes. Remember, it’s okay to wish. It’s okay to look ahead and want things to
PROBLEM-SOLVINGBuilding Problem-Solving Skills 191