#2 Remembering how lucky we are to be here right now

Neil Pasricha

Over dinner one night my dad started telling me about his first day in Canada.

It was 1968 and he was twenty-three, arriving on a plane with eight dollars in his pocket to start a new life by himself in a country he had never visited.

“A community group had a welcome dinner for new immigrants,” he started excitedly “And they had a big table of food!”

I was unimpressed.

“A table of food,” I agreed flatly while staring straight ahead and flipping past baseball highlights on TV.

“A table of food,” he continued. “Basically Neil, all the presentation of the picnic food on the table, I didn’t recognize. There were two or three kinds of salad. Potato salad, macaroni salad, maybe coleslaw. Probably four different kinds of sandwiches, ham sandwich, turkey sandwich, chicken sandwich, roast beef sandwich. Then there were the main courses they called it, you know, tuna casserole? Then the desserts was pies. Which I never seen pies before.”

I put down the remote and glanced at him cock-eyed. Behind the thick, boxy glasses, I could see his eyes darting wildly.

“How did you know what everything was?”

“My brother was there, so I will ask him and he told me whatever it is. The trays of cold cuts was different, instead of regular chicken they have sliced them, sometimes they have them rolled with the toothpick in them. I had never seen cold cuts before, I seen chicken in chicken form, but not rolled up. Same for cheese… some were in slices, some of them in squares.”

“What did you eat?” I asked.

“I ate everything, that’s the only way to get to know! That’s how you get exposed when you don’t know, just try different things. I can’t believe how many things you can get here!”

My dad would take me to the grocery store and marvel at the signs beside every fruit. He was fascinated that pineapples came from Costa Rica and kiwis were shipped from New Zealand. Sometimes he came home and opened an atlas to find out where the countries were. “Somebody brought dates from Morocco and dropped them five minutes from the home.”

He’d just smile and shake his head.

But if I really stop to think about it, a lot had to happen before we could be here right now. A lot had to happen before we could buy bananas from Ecuador and eat turkey cold cuts, before we could scroll through blogs about warm underwear and cool pillows, before we learned to read anything at all, before we grew tall, before we could talk, before we could walk, before we were even born…

So let’s stop for a second and pull back. Let’s pull way, way, way, way back.

Okay.

You used to be a sperm.

Now don’t get self conscious. We all used to be sperm. Check out the period at the end of this sentence. That tiny little dot is around 600 microns wide. When you were a sperm you were about 40 microns wide. And you were so cute back then too with your little tail wagging all over the place and your love of swimming. Boy could you swim. In fact if you hadn’t outswum your siblings, you might be a slightly different version of yourself right now. Maybe you’d have a higher-pitched laugh, hairier arms, or stand two inches shorter.

You had a great life as a sperm but always felt incomplete. The truth is you weren’t whole until you met an egg. And then you two began a nine month project to make a cool new version of you. It took a while but you grew arms and legs and eyeballs and lungs. You grew nerves and nails and eardrums and tongues.

For a sperm to meet an egg it means your mom met your dad. But it’s not just them. Think about how many people had to meet, fall in love, and make love for you to be here. Here’s the answer: A lot. Like a lot a lot.

Before they had you, none of your ancestors drowned in a pond, got strangled by a python, or skied into a tree. None of your ancestors choked on a peach pit, were trampled by buffalo, or got their tie stuck in an assembly line.

None of your ancestors was a virgin.

You are the most modern, brightest spark of years and years and years of survivors who all had to meet each other in order to eventually make you.

Your nineteenth century Grandma met your nineteenth century Grandpa down at the candle-making shoppe. She liked his muttonchops and he thought she looked cute churning butter.

Your Middle Ages Grandpa met your Middle Ages Grandma while they both poured hot oil from the castle turrets on pillaging vikings. She liked his grunts and he thought the flowers in her hair made her heaving bosoms jump out.

Your Ice Age Grandpa crossing the Bering Bridge in a woolly mammoth fur met your Ice Age Grandma dragging a club in the opposite direction. He liked her saber-tooth necklace and she dug his unibrow.

Your ancient rainforest Grandpa was picking berries naked in the bush while your ancient rainforest Grandma was spearing dodos for dinner. She liked his jungle funk and he liked her cave drawings. If it wasn’t for the picnic they had afterwards, maybe you wouldn’t be here.

You’re pretty lucky all those people met, fell in love, made love, had babies, and raised them into other people who did it all over again. This happened over and over and over again for you to be here. Look around the plane, coffee shop, or park right now. Look at your husband snoring in bed, your girlfriend watching TV, or your sister playing in the backyard. You are surrounded by lucky people. They are all the result of long lines of survivors.

So you’re a survivor, too. You’re the latest and greatest. You’re the top of the line. You’re the very best nature has to offer.

But a lot had to happen before all your strong, fiery ancestors met each other and fell in love over and over again for hundreds of thousands of years …

So let’s stop for a second and pull back again. Let’s pull way, way, way, way back.

Okay.

Let’s go on a field trip. Put your shoes on because we’re heading outside.

Take a bowling ball and drop it on the edge of your driveway. That’s our Sun. Yeah, the ball is only eight inches across and the actual Sun is eight hundred thousand miles across but that’s our scale for this little brainwave. Okay, now walk down your street ten big paces and drop a grain of salt on your neighbor’s lawn. That’s Mercury. Take nine more paces down the street and drop a peppercorn for Venus. And then take another seven paces, so you’re now two or three houses down the block, and toss down another peppercorn.

You got it.

That peppercorn is Earth.

Here we are, basking in the blazing sun, twenty-six big steps away from the bowling ball. Our giant planet is just a tiny speck in the middle of nowhere but here’s the crazy part: It gets a whole lot bigger.

If you keep walking, Mars is only couple more houses away, but Jupiter ends up ninety-five big paces down the street, out of the neighborhood, and halfway to the corner store. By now a dog is probably slobbering in the bowling ball finger holes and kids are flying by you on their bikes, slurping drippy popsicles, and wondering what’s up with this nut tossing crumbs on the sidewalk, acting out some demented suburban version of Hansel and Gretel.

If you want to finish up our solar system, you’re going to have to start taking two- and three-hundred paces for the remaining planets, eventually dropping a grain of salt for Pluto half a mile away from the bowling ball. You can’t see the bowling ball with binoculars and it’s getting cold out for your long walk home.

But here’s the crazier part: That’s just our solar system. That’s just our bunch of rocks flying around our big bright bowling ball star.

Turns out our big bright star and all its salt and peppercorns are racing around a cosmic race track with two hundred billion other big bright bowling ball stars. You’d have to cover the entire Earth with bowling balls eight thousand times to represent the number of stars in our race track. Did we mention this race track has a name? Yup, it’s called the Milky Way galaxy, presumably because the scientists who first noticed it were all eating delicious Milky Way candy bars late that Friday night down at the telescopes.

So basically our bowling ball, salt, and peppercorns are flying in the fast lane around a ridiculously giant race track galaxy called the Milky Way with billions and billions of other bowling balls, salt grains, and peppercorns, too.

But are you ready for the craziest part: That’s just our galaxy. Guess how many giant racetrack galaxies are in all of outer space? Oh, not many. Just more than we can possibly count. Honestly, nobody knows how many galaxies are out there in the big blackness. All we know is that every few years somebody stares out a little further and finds millions more of them just shining way out in the void. We don’t know how deep it goes because our rocketships don’t blast off that far and our thickest, fattest telescopes can’t see that far.

Now, all this space talk might make us feel small and insignificant, but here’s the thing, here’s the big thing, here’s the biggest thing of all: Of the millions of places we’ve ever seen it appears as though Earth is the only place that can support life. The only place! Oh sure, there could be other life-giving planets we haven’t seen yet, but the point is that Earth could easily have been a clump of sulphur gas, be lying in darkness forever, or have a winter that dips a couple hundred degrees and lasts twenty years like Uranus.

On this planet Earth, the only one in the giant dark blackness where anything can live, we ended up being humans.

Congratulations, us!

We are the only species on the only life-giving rock capable of love and magic, architecture and agriculture, jewelry and democracy, airplanes and highway lanes. We’re the only ones with interior design and horoscope signs, fashion magazines and house party scenes, horror flicks with monsters, guitar jams at concerts. We got books, buffets and radio waves, wedding brides and roller coaster rides, clean sheets and good movie seats, bakery air and rain hair, bubble wrap and illegal naps.

We got all that. But people, listen up.

We only get a hundred years to enjoy it.

I’m sorry but it’s true.

Every single person you know will be dead in a hundred years — the foreman at your plant, the cashiers at your grocery store, every teacher you’ve ever had, anyone you’ve ever woken up beside, all the kids on your street, every baby you’ve ever held, every bride who’s walked down the aisle, every telemarketer who’s called you at dinner, every politician in every country, every actor in every movie, everyone who’s cut you off on the highway, everyone in the room you’re sitting in right now, everyone you love, and you.

Life is so great that we only get a tiny moment to enjoy everything we see. And that moment is right now. And that moment is counting down. And that moment is always, always fleeting.

You will never be as young as you are right now.

So whether you’re enjoying your first toothpicked turkey cold cuts and marveling at apples from South Africa, dreaming of strange and distant relatives from thousands of years ago, or staring into the blackness of deep, deep space, just remember how lucky we all are to be here right now.

If you feel that sense of wonder and beauty in all the tiny joys in life then you’re part of an international band of old souls and optimists, smiling on sidewalks, dancing at weddings, and flipping to the other side of the pillow. Let’s all high five and keep thinking wild thoughts, dreaming big dreams, and laughing loud laughs.

Thank you so much for reading this blog.

And thank you for being

AWESOME!

Live in Toronto? Join me tonight for A Celebration of Awesome! We have lots of surprises planned…

Photos from: here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here

225 thoughts to “#2 Remembering how lucky we are to be here right now”

  1. Dear Kathysio
    I hope when your reading this you become

    proud of me for being the first person to

    comment on the second last 1000 awesome

    things. Altho when i tell you about this you

    will have your irish oral over and done with,

    but maybe your like that kid in Touch agus

    knew that i was going to write this, so best

    of luck today Nemo, your gonna do awesome :D Thanks again for coming to the play with me last Saturday nyt:D
    Your Friend
    Pat

      1. awesome things but don’t forget the rest of the world.I don’t think it’s great to eat kiwis from New Zeland, someone is paying for that, EARTH.

    2. Your name reminded me of a great song by one of my favorite Canadian bands – Great Big Sea.. They’ve got a song about “The night that Pat Murphy died”.. It’s a pretty great song, and more up-beat than the title would suggest..

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7Bsb-8pxG8

      I’ve actually always felt this band has a lot of the spirit of this blog in them.. they even have a great song “When I am King”, that highlights some of the great moments in life like when all the lights are green (#919), and the radio plays just the perfect song (#691)!

      If you’ve never heard of them, do yourself a favor and check them out – they are one of the happiest bands around! (plus they’re from Canada – Awesome thing #10!)

      1. Yes! Excellent shout-out to Great Big Sea! There are so many really excellent Canadian bands right now, I can hardly stand it. And you can check them out for free at http://www.cbcmusic.ca. I have a profile on there (same user name: jdurley) if you want to see what I’ve been listening to lately. Mostly I listen to the live R3 shows during the day. Come join me!

  2. Hey everybody,

    I don’t know how many of you watch the Ellen Degeneres show, but if you do, I’m sure you agree that this is something that deserves to be on the show. I suggest we all send Ellen a message on her facebook page, tweet her, and email her all the stuff about 1000awesomethings that we can and get Neil on the show! More people need to know about this great part of our lives!

    Great post Neil. I literally got goosebumps!

    1. You are absolutely right! 1000awesomethings must spread more and more for the entire world to see! I’m definitely up for it!

      1. Do any of you have Twitter? During Neil’s live Twitter chat today, we blitzed Ellen with some tweets about how he needed to be on the show … let’s keep it up! :D

        1. lulz.. I just checked out the full twitter feed from the life chat earlier today.. There was definitely some intern over at the Ellen Show that was is in charge of the Twitter feed that was like: “uh.. what the hell is going on here??”

            1. guess y’all gathered that meant to read “TWEET me in!”
              The Y’all’s are appealing to Ellen, did y’all catch that?!

      2. I do realize I might be kind of annoying some people by posting the same message, but I have been watching Ellen for a few years and this is exactly what needs to be on the show! We need to get everyone we can to send an email. And yes, the live chat was super fun! Who ever deals with ellen’s account should atleast know of it by now, but we cant be sure! We need to keep it up! More emails! More tweets! More facebook posts! MORE AWESOME!!!!! :D

          1. How do I do this? Do I hashtag Ellen? Or..? I have a Twitter account but never got around to figuring it out completely.

  3. As the time comes to say goodbye, I wanted to leave you with a few thoughts. I have enjoyed your company for the past few years. Although not a frequent commenter, I have read every post and the comments, and I feel as though I know many of you. It’s been a great time (trolls notwithstanding), and I’ll miss you. I hope things continue to be Awesome for all of you.

    Hey, lovethebadguy, from yesterday’s post, if you thought LOTR was drawn out too much, you might enjoy this version instead:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yqVD0swvWU

    Finally, for all who want to ponder their very tiny place in our huge universe, look at this:

    http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110222.html

    1. Ken, we remember you! We have missed you and we’re glad you’re back for the finale!! I love the comment about the trolls … :)

    2. Also, I love the NASA video! WOW! What an awesome visual! We just started our space unit in science, I think I’m going to show them this. As hard as it is for adults to grasp the concept of space, it’s even harder for third graders. I particularly enjoyed the end comment! Another thing they all need to hear! :D

      1. I liked the end comment too – I took it as a positive (of course). Many people are too tied up with themselves to reach out and help make another person’s life a little bit better. Unlike a certain blogger we all know…

    3. YES! I love the “How It Should Have Ended” videos! They’re always spot-on, too. I like pointing it this “eagle flaw” to all my LOTR-Fan friends.

    5. Wow!! That video is awesome, sometimes seeing what yoy only always hear and read makes all the difference….thanks for putting it up :)

  5. I remember reading this as the finale to The Book of Awesome and absolutely LOVING it. It still resonates with me as much now, as blog entry number two, as it did then. I also remember the snippet from your TED talk that referred to this story about your dad. While I can’t relate to being an immigrant, I can appreciate and revel in his curiosity and joy, and like everything I’ve read here, I can apply it to my own life. Which in and of itself is pretty awesome!

    I love your description of the miracles of human survival. It’s truly amazing that we’re all here! I also love your articulation of our place in the galaxy. When you stop and think about it, the sheer volume of the universe and beyond is overwhelming. How can you comprehend infinity? I remember this old poster my earth science teacher had hanging on the board my sophomore year of college. At first glance, it looked like the night sky sprinkled with thousands of stars. Upon closer inspection, you could see that what looked like stars were GALAXIES. It nearly blew my mind! I didn’t even know! I mean, we can’t even reach the end of our own galaxy, and there are millions more out there?!

    While it’s overwhelming, I also think it’s unifying. The world is a huge place, but everything is relative — and compared to space, the earth is absolutely TINY! And here we are: together, appreciating and loving all things awesome, making world-wide friends on our teeny weeny piece of the Internet on our teeny weeny planet. Thanks for bringing us together, Neil, to show us that though the world is big, our appreciation for awesome transcends it all!

    Also, jungle funk! HA!

    Oh, and … I hope one of the surprises is that you’re rounding up the party and flying a first class jumbo jet down to Missouri to share the awesome. ;D All you people lucky enough to go, I hope you appreciate it! I’m crazy-jealous of you!

    1. I will do my best to make you proud tonight, Laura! I’m so excited that I get to go!

  9. This has always been my favorite post. It gives me chills every time. We are tiny. We are only here for a short while. So why stress over the small stuff? Why worry about making the most money or having the most bling? What matters is this: friends,family,road trips,love, favorite songs, dancing,finding your place in the word where you are spin around with joy happy.
    I can’t believe tomorrow is the last post. It’s been an amazing journey. Thank you for all of it. I’ll never forget.

    1. That’s exactly what I was thinking the whole time! Let’s just get the most out of life now that we’re still here … Even the fact that we’re reading and commenting on this right now means that we’re one of the luckiest people on earth!

      1. Exactly. :) Just think about telling our children one day, about how we were the awesome group. I can just picture it now…
        “Come gather around kids! Mama has a story to tell you about this little blog that could…..”

    3. You’re right! Total chills! I remember getting my pre-ordered copy of the Book of Awesome in the mail, and pouring through it in just a few short days and then coming across this entry at the back.. and it just floored me then and it floors me now.. so glad that it came back to live forever here right near the end.

      Because seriously – isn’t this post what this whole Awesome-thing is all about? Recognizing that no matter how bleak things may look sometimes, we are just so freakin’ lucky to be here! And we’ve got to make the most of it.. life is such an amazing gift.

      1. I agree!! It’s all about seizing the day one perfect, yet small awesome moment at a time. Pausing to notice these positives, rather than focusing on the flashier, yet less meaningful negative things in life, is the whole point

    4. It is hard sometimes to sit back and think of the big picture, but yes, don’t stress over the small stuff. Remember that it’s all small stuff. I read your post yesterday and would like to add my thanks that you are here with us. I might even say it’s Awesome to have you here.

        1. Oh, and just wait till you have your children!!!!!!!!!!!!! You will be ecstatic you are HERE! and then your grand-babies…there are no words!

          1. I watch two children full time and that’s honestly what makes me want kids so much. There is nothing like walking into their home each day and having them want to show me what they did last night. And watching them discover who they are and what they want to do with their time on earth. There is nothing else like it.
            I can’t wait to have my own car full of LO’s. :)

  10. Oh my Goodness Neil, once again you leave me speechless. People should think of these things more often these days! Everyone is always so engrossed in work or studies or personal petty problems that they fail to see the really big picture, which you just so very accurately described! A million thanks for every word in this blog my very awesome friend :)

    1. That’s what I totally thought! It would be awesome if that was it, but it could be something else. I mean this blog is 1000 awesome things, but the are BILLIONS (actually, more than that. So many that you can’t count!) of awesome things out there! The final post could be almost ANYTHING! That is something else that is awesome about this blog. Even when we get to 1000, we can easily get to 1000 more, and 1000 more, and 1000 more…

  12. Yes, out of the billions who have lived, it is we who are alive right now – at the edge of time! I’ll miss your blog, Neil.

  13. Say WHAT? WHAT the heck happened to the parallel universe my friends told me about in grade 2? Ah man! Bummed out on #2. Don’t tell me real bearded Santa’s…

    Going to miss reading and hearing all about you! I hope the stars will continue to dance in our lives and home…awesomely:) Thanks everyone and God Bless, until we meet again!

        1. btw: That cake just looks ridiculous.. If it’s possible to make a nutella-based cake in a mug in only 5 minutes, we really are amazing luck to be here right now.. the world is a magical place!

          And Laura – I’m clearly a late adopter of tech stuff.. I’d never been to Pinterest before – but if all of it is as good as just people posting stuff about how awesome Nutella is, I’ll definitely be back!

          1. I won’t lie to you, Freddo. While I love Pinterest and have gotten lots of cool recipe, craft, and teaching ideas from there, if you’re expecting it to live up to an all-Nutella-recipe line-up, you will be in for disappointment.

            New idea for a place to direct all our commenting energy: Nutella blog?? ;)

    2. So uh, when was the night we were all gonna stay up and eat Nutella?! Tonight?? I totally bought a fresh jar for the occasion … and I’m not above eating a big ol’ spoonful here in the middle of the night!

      http://t.co/Pno4fN99

      1. Best. Twitter link. EVER! :)

        Now that you’ve got that photo while the jar was still pristine, time to tear off that lid and start digging in!

    3. …I’m not sure if this is the best thing ive read all day or the worst….but im extremely happy right now :)

  19. Are those fire-works? Sparks are flying from computers everywhere!
    Oh no, they’re neurons in search of new pathways; tears and sinus streams short circuiting the desk top! Could someone please pass a tissue!

    *Ken? My first love was Ken…is that you, Ken? Now, wouldn’t that be something…hahaha!
    And Magda, you promised! After luring me back in with your beautiful songs…Where are you?!

    1. And Freddo, I’ll eternally see Alice Cooper in another light:)
      btw, is your screen warbling? anybody?

      1. Hehe.. We’re glad you made it back here in time for the final push, Wendy! Wouldn’t have been the same without you.

  20. Btw: I think that may have been our last look at BHB (bed-head baby).. unless of course, #1 is BHB.. :)

    It’s been a grand run, bed-head baby.. you’ve made us smile on so many mornings.. I hope you’re getting big and smart and strong somewhere.. and are still wearing that bed-head proudly! We’ve loved having you share this journey with us!

    1. I honestly just cried at the thought of BHB out there in the world. Either A- I’m really tired and those darn cold meds are kicking in or B- It’s starting to sink in that this adventure is almost over.

    2. I’m sad to say it, but I think you may be right! Let’s bid her a proper farewell for providing us with entertainment over these past few years. I, too, hope she’s rocking the BH from time to time!

    3. Noooooooo!
      Neil – listen to us! – you must but BHB in the number 1 post – doesn’t matter if it has nothing to do with the post at all – just throw it in at the end just for the sake of it! :D

      1. either that – or just a picture of a jar of nutella :D – your pick (it is your blog of course!) hahahha

    5. I Cracked up when i saw bhb in this post…fitting that an iconic member of the awesome family came back for a visit so close to the end :)

      1. I never knew BHB had such a following! Or a special abbreviation for that matter! She cracks me up EVERY time, I was so glad to see her make an appearance here at number 2! :)

  21. I am awe-struck and yet at this one moment in time I am completely filled with gratitude for the reminder of what really is of value. Thank you for awakening my spirit in a new way and passing along, so eloquently, what you have learned to hear and see. In an age where one is deluged with a cacophonous array of distractions, I kiss my daugthers forehead while they sleep tonight and know that everything, every moment of struggle, does not compare for that singlular joy. Same to you my friend. Unitl we meet again…

  22. This site has helped pull me out of a nasty depression, and this post in particular resonates. Thank you, Neil. I agree with the aforementioned comment that love should be the #1 thing, but it might not fit with the usual suspects (simple ordinary things), as it is not usually simple.

  24. Life got busy and hectic and messy for me again…and I stoped visiting this blog. I believe it’s fitting (or perhaps incredibly sad) that when i needed to slow down and appreciate the smaller better things of life once more, I came back for a visit on the second to last post. And i came to a post about living in the moment, and appreciating the very small and important fact your alive at all. Ive missed this place and guess ill have to miss it once more…but

    1. Thank you for being a site i could always come back too and find exactly what i was looking for and needed :)

    2. Now that you mentioned it, I was gone for about 3 weeks and actually doing some really great stuff, yet still, I did notice “oout there”, even in the realm of groups I was in, where some had so little and others had alot, (i like the visual of the alot creature!), anyway, I noticed that there was so much negative and it made me so sad…b/c all this time here, I actually thought things were changing….here, i see it, here! Now to take it “there”, is all we can do…from here to there! Isn’t there a book with this title? ltbg?

      1. Exactly wendy!! This blog is so positive and uplifting you sometimes forget the rest of the world isnt always too. I guess we’ll just have to take the optimism from here to there ourselves :) (not sure about the book lol)

  25. wow – I just checked & this post has 2084 words!
    random i know :)

    solid effort Neil! :D

  27. I can still remember I first heard about “The Book of Awesome” from my English teacher, she read us “#951 Hearing a stranger fart in public” and the whole class was laughing so hard! I decided to check out this book, I never read books like that before, so interesting and fun to read. I introduced your books and 1000 awesome things to my mum, she really enjoys them very much and she hopes that the AWESOME series will start trending in Hong Kong LOL. I’m going to graduate from high school in 2 months, time to farewell and sign yearbooks with people. Yearbooks are AWESOME, even if you let random people to sign! I will miss my sweetheart, friends (including the 4Js from my design class LOL) and teachers, I will cherish all the moments that I have. Thank you Neil for making my life even more AWESOME!! I wish you all the best.

    1. I love that your English teacher chose to read you the entry about farting! He or She is the best!
      Congratulations on your graduation. Here’s my yearbook message for you: “Good luck in the future!”

  28. Hi! I just fought with a really loved one last night… There were a lot of tears and lots of things also sorted out.. but still the sadness remained and I’m sure everybody is still drained out! Now reading your post makes me realize the importance of everything! I feel like crying that I fought! I feel like undoing the last night.. I hope I was not wrong.. I hope everything is back to normal.. I hope that all the mental unrest comes to rest.. I hope this never happens again.. And though that was not awesome, reading this post surely was AWESOME!!
    (P.s.: The loved one was my mother..)

    1. Stuti…I’m sorry about your fight. Go give your mother a big hug and tell her you’re sorry, and you love her, and you two will get through this. Fighting feels terrible, but getting through to the other side will feel so much better! Mend your wounds with kindness.

  29. I hope y’all recall, I don’t have a subscribe anymore, so if I don’t answer, y’all understand why…I’ll like you forever, I’ll Love you for always…
    http://youtu.be/cp7_u0kcQRo
    Magda, Bekah. Ellen D’G. G’night Neil. Good night and sweet dreams, Awesomeland:)

  31. I’m going to miss this blog! I started reading it arround 800! And I’ve never missed a post since!

  32. Wow…that gave me the chills and made me want to cry…I could think of so many songs for this. Thank you for helping me enjoy the moment, the awesome THANK YOU SO MUCH. I adore this blog to death :3 This almost could have been the last post, the death of the blog. I wait anxiously for the last post. But until then, I’ll enjoy that Awesome suspense of waiting for another awesome post and remember all the awesome I have enjoyed over the years. :,)

  33. Wow. It’s a big place out there. Looks like we’re gonna need a bigger warp drive.

  34. Whew! That was a long one, but a very good point. As I stated in yesterday’s post, I often ponder about how the world was before I was born. I am very curious about my ancestors and am looking into it on ancetry.com.
    When I found out I had my second child a lot of thoughts were storming through my mind just like what you have described. What would have happened if we made a baby the next week or waited another year? Would I still have the wonderful child I have now? Would he have the same eyes and the same smile? Would it even be a boy? Its so fascinating how things turn out.

  35. I came across this blog shortly after my brother passed away and it reminded me daily to keep smiling and know that things will get better. Thank you for helping me heal and reminding me that life doesn’t always have to be dark and I don’t have to always be sad.

    You helped me heal and I will never forget that.

    Thank you and good luck in wherever/whatever you do in the future.

    I will always be looking for the awesome in every day.

    Leah

    1. I know, right? I was thinking the same thing. Typical male, identifies with the sperm… but the egg is where it’s at.

      1. Hahaha i was also thinking the same thing when i read that part, as in, im pretty sure the egg was there first! The sperm was just the after thought ;)

  37. wow….. chills and goosebumps indeed. awesome post neil. beautiful. love it! it’s been a great ride and i’ve enjoyed following your blog the last 4 years. the timing is always meaningful to me as i was 8 months pregnant when you launched it and now my awesome son, alexander, is nearly 4 yrs old. cheers and all the best! annick (freddo’s sister).

  39. One day I will learn to evoke as many emotions as you do with your beautiful, poignant writing. This punches me in the heart with its truth and as indescribably sad that I am knowing we’re just a day away from #1, I also feel indescribably awesome. Thank you.

  40. This is my first time commenting and I know it’s going to get lost in the jumble of all the people gathering with well wishes but I wanted to throw in my two cents.

    I don’t exactly remember the date I found your blog but it was back when it was still in the 600’s. I linked to it from some “50 sites you should be wasting your time on” list. I have to say they were wrong, this is anything but a waste of time. As I first started looking through past entries it made me realize that we’re all not as different as we think and we all love those weird things that make us awesome, even if they are as gross as a clump of earwax tumbling out of your ear. Ever since one of the first things I do when I hop on the computer is check for the latest entry, I think about how sad I’d get when there weren’t any weekend updates and I wonder what I’m going to do once this list is done. I’m sure I’ll still come here when I’m having a crappy day and need some awesome in my life but it just won’t be the same.

    So thanks for good(awesome) times and hopefully we’ll see more awesome in the future.

  42. This has to be your longest post by far – and it paid off!
    Great work! It’s a funny thing though; why is it EVERY immigrant story opens with “I had $8 in my pocket when I arrived!”
    I don’t know about you, but there’s NO WAY I would EVER leave my country of origin with $8 in my pocket!
    Great post, though!

  44. I love this post … I loved it in the book and I love it today. And I love bed head baby and love this blog. I love these comments and the joy that everyone shares in this forum.

    Thank you to everyone who made all of these things possible.

  45. Neil, you’ve carved out our own special place for us in this wild infinite unknown. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing us to ride with you on this journey…

  46. Good-Day, Kathy, in hospital! Wish you were here! Today, we are all with you in spirit! Remember to imagine the big OR light is a giant daisy in an Alpine meadow- a tenacious bloom in a desert, even by the sea side, or in a smiley concrete crack…whatever your visual fancy…Choose daisy b/c today that bright light makes you live fuller. A daisy is pure, simple, delicate and graceful; has its own natural pesticide and is able to spread its seeds far and wide… sow and grow anywhere…perennially…born to be wild…just like you and me and all our friends here, in spirit, heart and soul will always be:)
    Take care and remember to look me up if ever in BC. Canada. We have a Springsteen and Pink Floyd LP fest.-date:) If that’s your Pat who got here first, HOLY WOWZA~ whole lotta’ love and passion you have there! Good to know you’re in Awesome Hands! Happy healing! Will miss you:)

      1. Thank you both muchly! I greatly missed being here. I was in hospital, but not for myself (mine is next week). A family member had emergency open-heart surgery, so I spent yesterday and today at the hospital with family.

        LOL…Nope, not my Pat, but what a passionate Pat he is! I’d adore a Springsteen/Pink Floyd LP fest!

  47. Another great post, Neil! Thanks for giving props to Pluto. I feel so bad he’s been downgraded, but he’ll always be a planet to me.

    I think I’m still in denial that is all ends tomorrow. I’m going to need therapy!

  48. Alex, much more than two cents! Thank you for your “good sense” to comment! Everyone who visited here has contributed to the world being more awesome, whether they commented or not! The energy is here, there and everywhere! I hear “Awesome”, more often and feel more awesome is in the air!
    Cheers to Mr. and Mrs. Pasricha, for their love created Neil, to help make the world a brighter place! And we should all be proud for catching on:)
    Live it, love it, be it~ Be Awesome everyone…eternally.

  49. I am so going to miss this. I can’t believe I have read it from day one, everyday. Thnaks for always giving me a daily pause to realize that there are some AWESOME things out there if we just look for them.

  50. So this is it. Here we are, on the edge of the brink of the end.
    This blog has made me smile, made me cry and made me thankful for what I have.
    Thanks to you, Neil, and to all you 1000 awesome fans, for contributing to one of the most powerful and joyful blogs I have had the privelidge to follow.

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