Tie a Yellow Ribbon...

If you hike along a path or drive out of the city, you are likely to come across a tree that looks like this:

At first, I didn't know what to make of this tree. Although littering is a huge problem in Georgia, I couldn't believe that people would take the time to throw the trash into the tree. As I was spouting off one day about how much nicer Tbilisi would be if people just cared enough to throw out their garbage,  I was informed that this tree wasn't actually a fancy rubbish bin (as they like to call it), but instead a tree that grants wishes.   

Legend has it that if you make a wish while tying a small piece of cloth onto a branch of a Wishing Tree, your wish will come true. Although no one knows how a specific tree actually becomes a Wishing Tree, those that are covered in fabric have been thought to have granted wishes. These lucky people then spread the word and folks come from all over to tie a cloth on this now famous tree.

The appropriate protocol is to tie a piece of cloth onto a branch while making a wish. However, many times you will see whole shirts, plastic bags, or other odd assortments of "stuff" tied to the tree. People are resourceful...they use what they have, so they don't get left out of fulfilling their dreams.

I will not, however, break protocol and leave my wish making to chance. So to ensure that I am properly prepared when I come across a Wishing Tree, I have cut up a few pairs of Emet's underwear and tucked them safely in my backpack. Hope he doesn't mind.