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“What’s at the bottom of wishing wells?” This is the thought that has been circling around in my head since last weekend.  I’m not sure why, but I know enough to pay attention to those things that keep finding you. So today’s post is about wishing wells.

Have you ever wondered what’s at the bottom of a wishing well? Is it the entrance to a magical world?  A water filled tunnel to certain death? Are there spirits there that seek to help? To harm? Or is it just rock and dirt and water?

Wishing wells are everywhere in our culture.  Back before filters and indoor plumbing they were a reliable source of clean water. Towns were built around the wells. It was believed that spirits dwelled in and around them to protect the clean water. Wells, and water sources like the head of a river, were believed to be entrances to the underworld. People would offer coins, trinkets like buttons or beads, or bits of pottery as they passed with the hope that the spirit attached to the well would be pleased and grant them their wish.

Wishing wells are in music. Five For Fighting wrote a song called “Devil in the Wishing Well.” It’s a song about a man who struggles with depression or addiction, and is told that the devil’s at the bottom of the hole he’s in (the wishing well) and he’s going to have to give him something good in order to get out.  He cuts out part of his heart and offers that to the devil as a form of payment. Although pretty gruesome, it is another example of the belief and hope people put in wishing wells.

Wishing wells are in movies. One of my favorite movies from the 80’s is The Goonies.  (You can find it on Amazon here) If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend you do so.  It’s about a group of kids trying to save their town from developers who want to tear it down and build a golf course. In order to save it they have to find a lost pirate ship and its treasure. On their journey they end up trapped in an underground tunnel and eventually find the bottom of the local wishing well.  They can ride the bucket up to the top, but then they give up on their dream.  Well, that wouldn’t make a very good movie, so of course they continue on.

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This is “Dream Lake.” At its deepest point it’s only about 18″ deep. Photo credit, A.D. Wheeler, “The Explorographer.”

Wishing wells really exist and are still visited today. Luray Caverns in Verginia is an amazing set of mirror smooth pools, breathtaking stalactites and stalagmites, and a beautiful reflecting pool where people stop to toss in a coin and make a wish.  The water is so still, and the air so pure that they actually used to pipe in the air into a local tuberculosis hospital,L imair Sanatorium, believing that the purity of the air and it’s “perfect bacteriologic purity” would benefit their patients. The sanatorium is long gone, but the caverns and the wishing well remain.

“Luray Caverns, Luray, Virginia” Photo credit, A.D. Wheeler, “The Explorographer.”

So what’s at the bottom of a wishing well? Whether it’s a spirit you want to please so they grant your wish, or a misunderstood devil demanding payment, other people’s dreams, or a magical cure for tuberculosis, I think the answer is obvious – it’s hope. Hope is at the bottom of every wishing well.

My thoughts are my own, but my pictures are generally found on Pinterest (you can find anything there!). If you like what I write, please share with your friends or someone you think would like it! I’d love it if you follow me on Facebook (Melissa Gale), Instagram (write2unpack), or Twitter (@write2unpack). Oh, hey, and if you sign up here to follow me you’ll never miss a post!

This week I was going to write about paving the road to Hell (good intentions), but inspiration for a different post found me last night.  So, Hell will have to wait for at least another week.

Last night I watched the season finale of “Preacher” (Yes, I’m one of those people).  For those of you who haven’t seen the show: it’s about a man, (Jesse Custer) whose father was a preacher, and as he grew he fell a little far from that tree – but eventually became a preacher himself.  Well, in his far-from-the-tree days he and his lifetime friend/girlfriend (Tulip) were robbing a bank. Their partner (Carlos) heard them laughing and being playful so he sabotaged their heist and double-crossed them. Years later, when Jesse Custer was a preacher, they found him and asked him (not so nicely) why he did what he did. His answer? “You were happy.”

That’s what I’d like to talk about today. Why it is that people hate it when other people are happy. The answer I came up with… Jealousy.

The world doesn’t need more hate, or more jealousy, so let’s look at reasons we should be happy for others who are happy – even if we aren’t happy ourselves.

1.  When you’re happy for someone else you allow their happiness to inspire you and ignite hope that you, too, will be happy soon.

2. When you’re happy for someone else you deepen your relationship. Real relationships are filled with ups and downs. People will respond more positively to your ups if they’ve also shared in your downs, and vice versa.  It’s easier share in someone’s happiness if you’ve shared in their struggle.

3. When you’re happy for others you literally multiply the times you can celebrate and be happy. I don’t know about you, but I love being happy and celebrating.  I’d much rather do that than be sad, and when we’re happy for someone else it also allows them the opportunity to be happy for you too.

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1. Don’t hate – celebrate. Look for opportunities to be happy for others and to say something positive.

2. Be grateful. Every morning they write down 3 things you have that you’re grateful for. Today I’m grateful for the sunshine and being able to write outside, for being able to spend time with my kids and husband, and last (but not least) for the opportunity to kick my friend Sandra’s butt at donating blood later tonight.

3. Don’t compare yourself to others. My mother always told me, “Lissa, there’s always someone better off than you, and there’s always someone worse off than you.”  My mom knows a lot. Instead of fixating on what others have, focus on the positives – whether it’s you or someone else.

4. Your value doesn’t depend on other people. We want other people to want what we have, but seeking approval from other people is self-destructive. Author Josh Gressel wrote a book called Embracing Envy: Finding the Spiritual Treasure in Our Most Shameful Emotion (You can find it on Amazon here). He writes, “To be seeking the envy of another is to be trapped in the same cycle that fuels any addiction: reaching for something outside yourself for something that ultimately needs to come from within.”

5. Be aware of your jealousy. This week I saw a YouTube video by comedian Chelsea Handler for Elle (Here’s a link) She talked about an event in her 20’s, when she convinced a friend to join her at a stand-up showcase for an agency. Her friend got representation and she didn’t. She felt like it wasn’t fair – she was the one who convinced her friend to do stand up in the first place. Chelsea hated the way she felt – like it was a mistake. She went to her sister for advice and was told, “It’s ok to feel jealous. It’s how you feel, you can’t stop from feeling it.” Her sister then told her, “Tell one person, nobody else, and don’t act on it.” Sage advice, and I love Chelsea’s statement about her feelings of jealousy, “I never blow out someone else’s candle to make mine brighter.”

This week, my reader, I challenge you to be happy for others.  Feel gratitude for the things you have, share in others’ successes, and, like Chelsea Handler, don’t blow out someone else’s candle to make yours brighter.

My thoughts are my own, but my pictures are generally found on Pinterest (you can find anything there!). If you like what I write, please share with your friends or someone you think would like it! I’d love it if you follow me on Facebook (Melissa Gale), Instagram (write2unpack), or Twitter (@write2unpack). Oh, hey, and if you sign up here to follow me you’ll never miss a post!

Colchuck Lake is an amazing lake near the top of the Enchantments in Leavenworth, WA.  My boss, the uber-athlete, promised to take me and my co-worker/friend, Lindsay, on a day-hike to Colchuck Lake. He’s been up and over Asgard Pass and through-hiked the Enchantments several times, and Lindsay and I have seen amazing photos and heard incredible stories of his adventures, but today he made good on his promise and took us to Colchuck Lake.

Like the true Sherpa he is, he packed our water (with a fizzy tablet of some sort of electrolyte in it), his water, and all snacks.  All we had to do was to get our bodies up there. It took 2+ hours to get there. We hiked on a trail (sometimes), over tree roots that acted like steps, up granite “staircases,” and sometimes the trail was just to “follow the dirt on the rocks.” Once we arrived, the sight took my breath away. There’s no way to explain the intense beauty, and pictures barely capture the magnificence of the lake.  If you ever have the opportunity to go, take it. You’ll remember it for the rest of your life.

Gratuitous selfie.

After a quick rest, a snack, some water, and several gratuitous selfies we headed back down the trail. As I followed my Sherpa down the trail, watching as he picked his way around bigger rocks or tricky tree roots, my mind started wondering about this week’s blog and how I can present this amazing experience to you, my reader. While I’m sure there’s more, I offer the following 5 lessons I learned while hiking Colchuck:

1. Use more mosquito repellant. Yes, this one’s first for a reason. I sprayed the heck out of myself before setting out and the little buggers were still all over me the second I stopped or slowed down.  Sometimes they even bit through my pants! My poor friend is extra delicious and one time I looked back she had a whole swarm of them around her.  Although a good lesson to apply to hiking Colchuck, it’s also a good life lesson.  Sometimes when we’re on our journey we’re surrounded by little bitey things that try to distract us from what we’ve set out to do, or from noticing the beauty around us.  Think of how pleasant your life will be if you do your best to repel those things that don’t serve you, and only act as a nuisance or distraction from your journey.

2. Remember to watch where you step and not get too distracted by looking around.  Colchuck Lake is 4 miles up and in the Wenatchee National Forrest. Parts of the trail are heavily forested and the Icicle River tributaries flow all around you.  The natural beauty is spectacular! But, I’d strongly encourage anyone on that trail to diligently watch their footing. There are roots and rocks everywhere. On your life’s journey, I’d also encourage you to watch your path for potential pitfalls.  There are things to trip, to catch your toe around every turn. Pay attention and watch your footing.

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3. Sometimes it’s better if you look up from the path you’re currently on. There’s a part of the trail (several parts actually) where you’re climbing up a granite “staircase.”  In one section I realized that I had been so focused on what step was in front of me, that I didn’t notice a much easier path beside me.  Sometimes in life we get so focused on what’s next, our next step on this path we’ve set out on, that we don’t notice that there’s another (perhaps easier) way to get to the same place.

4. The journey’s better with a buddy. It was a magnificent hike – hands down, but for me having my trusted friends around me, supporting me, made all the difference in the world.  Life is like that too.  Surround yourself with those who love and support you and just watch the magic that unfolds.

5. I can do this!  When we first started talking about hiking Colchuck (8 miles out and back, rated “difficult” on alltrails.com), I wasn’t sure I could do it. My exercise regime has consisted of walking a couple times per week, yoga, and getting up to get my own drink on weekends. But I did it! We went slow and steady, stopped occasionally to catch our breath, and presto! I conquered that mountain.  Ok, well, partially conquered it anyway.  Next year we’ve vowed to either through-hike the Enchantments, or at least go up to Asgard Pass and into the lakes of the Enchantments. If this girl can make it up that mountain, without really training, on a quest of comradery and natural wonder, what can’t I do?

That’s where we’re going next year. Asgard Pass is on the left. (That’s Dragontail Peak on the right).

Sometimes it takes a day hike up a root and granite filled trail, into somewhere surrealy spectacular (that’s right – I’m a writer, I can make up words…) to remind us that we really can do it – whatever “it” is. Our bodies are stronger than we give them credit for, our strength of commitment is remarkable, and our love for each other is boundless.

This week I invite you to take the Colchuck Lessons to heart: Repel that which does not serve you, watch your footing, look up, find a buddy to be with, and yes – you can do it!

If you like what I write, please share with your friends or someone you think would like it! I’d love it if you follow me on Facebook (Melissa Gale) or Twitter (@write2unpack). Oh, hey, and if you sign up here to follow me you’ll never miss a post!