The wish I’m making today isn’t normally mine – it’s my daughter’s. But today, I share it with her. I wish I could fly.
Every time Daisy May sees a star in the sky or tosses a coin into a fountain, she closes her big brown eyes tightly, and whispers, “I wish I could fly.”
Sometimes, she gets discouraged. She asks me WHEN she is going to grow her fairy wings, so her wish can come true. “Wishes come true,” I always reassure my 5-year-old. “But sometimes, not in the way you expect them to.”
Yesterday was a gorgeous, clear, sun-filled day. Daisy wanted to ride her bike on the driveway, but the training wheels had gone crooked, and teetering from side to side was too frustrating. I told her I had an idea: let’s take the training wheels off.
Her mouth dropped open in excitement, and her eyes grew wide. “Yes, yes, yes!!” she told me. There wasn’t a moment of fear or hesitation.
My mind flashed back to a similar scene five years ago, teaching her older sister Clara how to ride without training wheels. Back then, I was working the evening news shift. I remember racing up and down the driveway in my suit and heels right before I left for work, holding the back of her bike, wishing I didn’t have to leave. Balancing work and parenthood was a constant struggle back then.
This time, Clara was helping teach her little sister the art of balance. I watched the two girls working together as the sun was setting, stunned by the bright light that seemed to radiate from them. This was a real moment.
As Daisy’s confidence grew, I handed Clara the camera to take a picture. Instead, she rolled video. I didn’t notice until I watched it how nervous I looked, how hard it was for me to take my hand off my little girl’s back as she pedaled down the driveway. I heard Clara’s voice sharing the kind of wisdom that only comes out of the mouths of babes: “Let go. Mom, LET GO!”
I let go.
She didn’t fall.
I don’t recall ever seeing so much pride and excitement on her face.
And this time, I didn’t have to rush off to work. I was there to soak in this incredible experience – all of it. After departing the television business four years ago, I finally found the balance I needed so desperately.
For the rest of the evening I watched her as she rode, and rode, and rode, going up and down the driveway, even teaching herself how to start and stop and riding down the street to visit friends and show off her new skill.
Daisy didn’t grow fairy wings last night.
But I’m pretty sure she felt weightless, light as air and full of magic.
There is no doubt in my mind that her wish came true.
My girl learned how to fly.
