Folks who headed to Lake Harriet in Minneapolis to enjoy the fall colors last weekend saw some unexpected hues: hot pink, bold blue and lime green.
Jaunty strips of neon-bright paper filled the lower branches of a tree near the Rose Garden. Scribbled on the strips were anonymous wishes.
People stopped their running, walking and biking to read the heartfelt words of strangers -- and add their own.
Some wishes were universal: world peace, a cure for cancer, "someone to love." Others were intensely personal: "Sobriety for my Mom." And some were childlike and whimsical: "I wish I had a rainbow pony."
Donna Hamilton, who lives a block away, made four trips to see the tree and take pictures during the week it was hung with wishes. "I love the thoughts. They made me cry," she said. "I like the whole scene of it and seeing people interact with it."
Who created the wishing tree? And why?
The mastermind is Minneapolis mom Deb Arora. The tree kicked off a yearlong initiative she calls "The Hokey Pokey Project" (www.hokeypokeyproject.com) -- weekly public happenings designed to "make people smile."
"We wanted to introduce our kids [Jackson, 4, and Charlotte, almost 2] to a unique form of community service," she said. "We wanted to make it fun and build it into the fabric of life."