You can't cross a chasm in two steps.
--Rashi Fein

When a small child hides her eyes, she means, "You can't see me." We sophisticated grownups sometimes have trouble getting rid of magic thinking. We tear petals from daisies, one by one; we tell ourselves that anything we eat standing up has no calories. We know one must leap across a chasm, but still we think, "If only I could change feet in the middle!"

The important thing is getting to the other side tackling the problem on its own terms. Playing magic games is one way to stay stuck. There's nothing romantic or admirable about futile efforts; they're an admission that we don't want to succeed.

Every problem teaches us how to resolve it. If we can't see the solution, than we're not ready for it, and instead of sputtering vainly we should set that question aside and address ourselves to our appropriate tasks.

I will remember that wishing almost never makes it so. Wishing and working almost always do.