“Quick. Make a wish. Now point to a cheek. Ok. Your wish will come true.”

Melissa Johnson is an accountant from southern California. She explained this folk belief to me, that this is said when an eyelash falls onto one’s face. If you point to the correct side of your face, your wish is supposed to come true. She got this from a friend who said this to her. She doesn’t really believe that her wish will come true, but feels it’s fun to do anyway, like making a wish when you blow out the candles on your birthday cake or when the clock hits a certain time.

I think this is why anyone does this, and it’s an interesting display of the continuum of belief. She doesn’t believe in wishes enough to say that she believes pointing to the right cheek will make her wish come true, but she believes in it enough to go through the process of wishing on a fallen eyelash.