“What would you do?” a voice said behind me.

I was startled to say the least. I turned around and saw an old man with a long, gray beard. He was wearing a tattered blue coat and one of his tennis shoes had a hole at the toe. He approached and lean on the stones beside me. He smiled. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

The old man looked harmless enough and I returned his smiled. “Oh, you know, save money, avoid my bad decisions, not gain the fifty pounds around my mid-section and stay away from the Mr. Wrongs I’ve been attracted to – especially the last Mr. Wrong.”

The old man chuckled lightly. “Would you give me a dollar if I could make that wish come true?”

It was an original line for a panhandler, but the way he looked, he could use a little more than a dollar. “Sir, if I could start over, I’d give you twenty dollars.”

“Done!” the man said.

I laughed, reached into my purse and gave him the twenty. I considered it my good deed for the day. He then told me that when I woke the next morning, my wish would come true.

When evening came, I crawled into bed, thinking nothing of that silly wish and soon I was sound asleep. But when morning came, I heard a familiar voice; one I hadn’t heard in years. I opened my eyes and saw my mother’s face staring down at me.

“Hello, my precious,” she said, and then she picked me up!

“Oh my gosh! Mom!” I exclaimed. But the only thing that came out of my mouth were the gurgles and coos of a baby. My wish had come true! My life had started over. I sighed as I lay my head on my mother’s shoulder and thought, Maybe I should have just given him a dollar, and I wouldn’t have gone back this far. It was then I remembered the old saying, be careful what you wish for.