“Every wish is like a prayer to God.”

-ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING

If I had the magic gift of Tinker Bell, I’d flit into the minds of my friends and leave this prescription for happiness: Stop the habit of wishful thinking and start the habit f thoughtful wishes. I would sweep away all those dreary office desk signs that say “Think” for another batch that shout “Wish!” Wishes are thoughts vibrant with life and eager for action. They have the power to produce light and beauty.

Personally I am almost afraid of the powerin a wish, so may of mine have come true. As a little girl in Weatherford, Texas,I had five giant wishes. First, I wanted to fly-not aviator style, but like an angel. Second, as I emerged from pigtails, I wanted to marry a “wonderful guy” and have two children. I also wanted to sing to the world. I hankered to live in a house on a tree-covered hill insome faraway land. And, above all, I yearned to perform on a London stage with my idol, Noel Coward, whom Ihad seen at the local movie house in The Scoundrel.

My wish to fly stuck hauntingly with me into adulthood. At least once a week I’d dream I was airborne under my own power. One night I had a vivid dreamof flying into New York through the Holland Tunnel. How I managed to sail over the long stream oftrucks and cars, without hitting the ceiling, only Freud knows.

Soon after that I received a telegram offering me the role of Peter Pan on Broadway. During its long run I did a heapof “flying” angel style. And the funny thing is that never have I dreamed offlying again.

One night after my premiere in One Touch of Venus, several years ago, I was dining late at an intimate, dimly lit restaurant near the theater. A man I had never met emerged from the shadows,passed my table, bent down and kissed my forehead.

“You were wonderful,” he said.

It was Noel Coward. Four years later I wentto London tostar in Pacific 1860, a musical he wrote especially for his worshiper fromWeatherford.

The blessing of the “wonderful guy” and thetwo children has also come my way. And we’ve bought a house on a hillside in Brazil where wecan all be together. Nowadays, I watch my wishes like a hawk.

What is true of me applies to everyone. It’sa wonderful custom to extend best wishes to our friends at New Year’s. But,more important, let’s be sure to extend best wishes to ourselves-wish them to ourselves with all our heart and strive toward them with all our might.

If you’re willing to do that, select your wishes with care. For they have an uncanny way of coming true!

BY MARY MARTIN

天從人願

每一個願望，就像向上蒼祈禱一樣，終會實現。－勃朗寧

如果我有童話人物坦可 貝爾那種神奇的天賦，一定鑽進我朋友的心中，留下可帶來幸福的良方：停止空想，要切合實際。我要把桌上那些寫著「想」的座右銘一掃而光，代之以一組有力的「願」。因為願望使生命富有活力，而且敏於實踐，它有一種產生光明感和美感的力量。

以我個人而言，簡直對願望的力量感到畏懼，因為我有很多願望後來都成了事實。當我還是個不更事的小女孩的時候，家住在德州的惠瑞福城，我曾許下五個大願：第一，我想飛。－不是像乘飛機那樣，而是天使樣地在天空飛翔；第二，我長大後，要嫁一個「奇男子」，養二個孩子；第三，我要到全世界歌唱；第四，我要住在遠方一幢花木扶疏的山坡小屋裏；第五，最後，也是最重要的一點，我渴望和心目中的偶像諾考華在倫敦劇場合演戲劇，他是我在本地電影院看他主演的「無賴者」後開始崇拜他的。

我想飛的願望，時常縈繞於心，直至我長大成人，每周仍至少有一次會夢見自己在天空自由翱翔。有一夜我竟活現地夢見自己穿過荷蘭隧道，飛抵紐約。我究竟怎樣飛過那一連串的卡車和汽車，而竟然沒有碰到隧道頂，那只有心理分析家佛洛伊德博士才知道了。

過了不久，我收到一封邀請我到美國百老匯去扮演「小飛俠」童話劇的角色。就這樣，我終得以扮演了無數次「飛行」的天使角色，更怪的是此後我再也不做飛行的夢了。

幾年前有一夜，正值我的「初遇愛神」首演，終場後在戲院附近一家燈光黯淡

他說：「你演得真好。」

他就是諾考華。四年後，我到倫敦主演「南太平洋」，那是他專為我這個來自惠瑞福的愛妻寫的音樂劇電影。

希望嫁個奇男子和養二個孩子的祈求都已如我所願，我們又在巴西的一個小山邊購置了一間住宅，這樣我們便可以天天相處在一起了。現在，我很當心我想許的願，就像防備鷹一樣，一點也不敢大意。

這一切對我如此真切，也可以應用於每一個人。新年裏有一種很好的習尚，就是向我們的朋友們獻上許多祝福，可是，最要緊的是，讓我們也替自己祝福－許這些願必須出於全心全意，並且要傾全力來達成它們。

如果你願意這樣做，那麼小心你選擇你要許的願，因為他們終會不可思議地突然變成了事實。

馬丁（美國歌劇明星）

Flit: (鳥等)輕快地飛

Prescription: 命令, 指示; 規定, 法規

Sweep: 掃; 清掃, 打掃

Dreary: 沈悶的, 陰鬱的, 令人沮喪的

Batch: 一批生產量; 一批投料量

Vibrant: 振動的; 顫動的

Eager: 熱心的, 熱切的

Aviator: 飛行員, 飛機駕駛員

Hanker: 嚮往; 渴望

Faraway: 遙遠的, 遠方的

Yearn: 思念; 渴望; 嚮往

Airborne: 空運的

Vivid: (色彩, 光線等)鮮豔的; 鮮明的; 強烈...

Premiere: 初次上演

Intimate: 親密的, 熟悉的

Dimly: 昏暗地; 朦朧地, 模糊地

Hawk: 鷹, 隼

Uncanny: 奇怪的;怪異的;可怕的