In life you have to give and take, make compromises and sometimes fall back and let others take the lead. Jamaicans are notorious for wanting to have their own way and exercising free will in everything we do from partying to work to our intimate relationships. Unfortunately as most of us have come to recognise, in every society, even ours, there are limitations and restrictions impose by the authorities, the church, our employers and even the very people we share space with. In a perfect world we all wish for certain things to be easier or more flexible. The following represent some basic things we wish, hope and pray for.

1. Your job: We all would

like to give our creative juices full rein.

2. Banking hours: They

always seem to close just before you can get there.

3. Your knees: Whether knees

or another body part, our joints are not what they used to be.

4. Payday: Can’t we just

pick which day we want to be paid?

5. Work hours: For years

people have been lobbying the government for flexi-work time.

6. Vacation days: Most of us

would love them around our birthday or Christmas.

7. Your spouse: Some people

are a little stubborn, others seem to be part human, part mule!

8. Your lease agreement: We

would all love to changes some of the terms and conditions in that!

9. Airline reservations: You

can lose your money there easily if you do not read the fine print or have to

cancel last minute.

10. Your mind: Not all of

our brains can do mental gymnastics in terms of memory, mathematics and the simple

stuff that is forever on the tip of our tongues.

11. People’s opinions: That

maybe the one thing we should leave alone as no matter what, some always seem

to have an opinion about other people’s lives.