What I Want for Christmas

Whenever commercials show on television my daughter points out the various toys that she likes.  "I want that for Christmas, I want that, I want that..."

When asked what he wants, my husband usually jokes "a million dollars".  Whenever I try to discuss things seriously with him, he brushes me off.

Nobody has asked me what I want.

So here's what I want.  For starters, I want people to have the basic courtesy to return my communications.  I want to be able to talk candidly to the people around me and not have to bite my tongue whenever they object to controversial subjects.  I want to be appreciated for my talents and not have to retool my image every time I apply for a job.  I want to have a home to call my own and not worry about it being invaded or taken away.

I want to live in a place where people can walk down the street without fear of being robbed, hurt, or killed. I want children to be able to get the education of their choosing without regard for language, religion, or gender.  I want people to realize that the dogged pursuit of wealth, power, and perfection is terribly detrimental to the only planet that we can live on.

I want peace on Earth.

The tragic thing is, I'll probably never see most of those things happen.