The One-Wish List El Pasoans Would Love to Make Reality

If I had a One Wish Willow, I know exactly what I'd wish for.

Seriously. I wouldn't need time to think about it. I wouldn't call anyone for advice or make a pros-and-cons list. One wish. Done.

But after seeing what some other El Pasoans would wish for, I'm starting to feel like maybe I should've thought a little harder about mine.

The One Wish Willow That Inspired El Paso's Wish List

If you've seen the movie Obsession, you already know where this idea came from.

At the center of the movie is a mysterious object called the One Wish Willow. Break it, make one wish and you can have whatever your heart desires.

Sounds great!

Except Obsession is a horror movie, so you can probably guess that there's a catch.

For our entertainment purposes, though, we're ignoring all the terrifying consequences. We're imagining that each of us gets one completely consequence-free wish specifically for El Paso.

Mine? I would wish for an H-E-B. That's the example I gave when I asked our Facebook followers what they would wish for, and I figured I'd get plenty of similar answers.

Restaurants. Stores. Attractions. Things we've been begging to get in El Paso for years. I definitely got some of those.

But I also got answers I never expected.

Some El Paso Wishes Were Bigger Than I Expected

After reading through the responses, I started feeling a little guilty about using my magical wish on a grocery store.

One person wished the August 3 Walmart shooting had never happened. Another wished El Pasoans would stop drinking and driving.

Those answers stopped me in my tracks because suddenly this silly little question wasn't just about what people wish El Paso had. It became about what people genuinely wish they could change about the city they call home.

Then there was the person who wished the massive data center project would simply go away. I have to admit, that was a pretty good use of a magical wish, too.

READ MORE: One Pancho's Photo Took El Paso Back in Time

El Paso's Wishes Say a Lot About the Sun City

What I ended up loving about the answers was how different they were.

Some people looked toward the future and wished for things they believe would make El Paso better.

Others went straight into nostalgia. And boy, do some of you miss Pancho's Mexican Buffet. Western Playland at Ascarate Park got plenty of love, too. Apparently, if magical wishes can bring back old El Paso favorites, we're wasting no time putting them to work.

Then there were the fun wishes for businesses, restaurants and other things people would simply love to have here.

And that's kind of what made the responses so great.

Give El Pasoans one imaginary wish and you're going to get everything from grocery stores and childhood memories to some very real hopes for a safer, better city.

As for me?I'm still wishing for that H-E-B. I'm just feeling slightly more selfish about it now.