Wishing Well

When we are children we are very impressionable. I use to believe that white cows gave white milk, brown cows gave chocolate milk and spoted cows gave soup, as my grandmother would tell me this every time we would see cows on one of the few road trips we had together.
I also believer that if I threw a penny into a wishing well or one of those little bodies of water at the mall that my wish would come true. It did not matter how tight I closed my eyes or how hard I wished, nine times out of ten I was let down. I think it is human nature to wish for the impossible and expect just that.
Today I was reading something and thought about all the wishes I have made over the years and wondered where the idea of a wishing well came from.

The following was taken from Websters:
A wishing well is a term from European folklore to describe wells where it was thought that any spoken wish would be granted. The idea that a wish would be granted came from the idea that water contained deities or had been placed there as a gift from the gods, since water was a source of life and oftentimes a scarce commodity.
Water was seen to have healing powers and therefore wells became popular with many people drinking, bathing or just simply wishing over it. People believe that the guardians or dwellers of the well would grant them their wish if they paid a price. After uttering the wish, one would generally drop coins in the well.
The tradition of dropping pennies in ponds and fountains stems from this. Coins would be placed there as gifts for the deity in thanks.

Other wishing traditions would include cutting a birthday cake, blowing out the candles on a birthday cake, smearing your name on a birthday cake and breaking a wish bone.
The act of making a wish is a magical operation but theories suggest that Wells tend to be more effective than all of the rituals listed above.
Next time you see a "wishing well" close your eyes and make a wish. They may not always come true, but it is sometimes nice to feel like a kid again.