It all starts with the permission slip.
Yes, when teachers send them home before the bell rings so parents can rubber stamp the bumpy yellow bus trip to the museum, then it’s on, my friends, it’s on.
Soon the days count down and the buzz builds up as the class gets ready for the day away from school. The middle-ages unit wraps up at Medieval Times, paintings are handed in before the art gallery, and everyone mails a friend a letter before the tour of the post office.
On the morning of the big day you wake up with some extra pep in your step because you know we’re all going far away. It’s time to skip the portables, soggy sandwiches, and long afternoons with the Spanish teacher.
It’s time to do something different.
It’s time … to go for a ride.
Yes, whether it’s the petting zoo, chocolate factory, or a long hike in the woods, it’s time to enjoy the school vacation with some of the following perks:
1. Subs in the house. Taking thirty screaming seven-year-olds to the planetarium is a bit much, so most teachers call in backups in the form of parent chaperones. These subs act like a sweet and sweatered army of substitutes and don’t know enough names or have enough power to mess up the fun. Of course, that’s assuming they’re not your mom or dad. If that happens, your day is done.
2. Wheels on the bus. They go round and round on the way there and back. Yeah, we all gang rush into the slippery seatbelt-free seats and enjoy a loud, laughing party on wheels. There are loud screechy songs, secret makeout sessions, and some friendly gestures at passing motorists. This is also when the classroom’s social structure is on display too — from the cool kids at the back to the nerds sitting with the teacher up front. I really did love sitting up front though. I mean, how about that view?
3. Sealing it in. A friend and I were strolling quickly through an art gallery a couple years back when we stumbled on a group of kindergartners holding a rope and looking at splotchy art paintings. I’ll never remember the jaw-dropping look of pure head-tilting amazement from the little boy at the end of the group — eyes twinkling, mittens hanging out his winter coat, and his whirring brain soaking and swallowing up something beautiful on the wall. And it’s true: field trips often help seal in the learning. Chalk one up for school.
So… let’s enjoy the memories, let’s enjoy the moments, and let’s enjoy the parking lot speed bumps. Yes, let’s all love those special days when dusty chalkboards fade away and buses wheel us down the freeway, far away, far away, far away.
AWESOME!
Pre-order The Book of Awesome
People with really great laughs.
You know the kind of laugh that makes you want to keep being funny, just so you can hear them laugh again. Whether is be really loud, really hilarious or really boisterous, a really great laugh is something that is awesome.
I have a friend that laugh’s is so loud that you can hear him when he’s on the second floor of a building and you are on the first at the other side of the hallway.
And everytime it makes me laugh.
agreed!! or you hear a laugh across campus and you know, without a doubt, your laugh endowed friends making her way toward you!
LOVE IT!
i like when i finish my frosted flakes and there’s just sugar milk left in the bottom of the bowl.
YUM!
Yum indeed!
http://1000awesomethings.com/2009/05/08/770-grabbing-the-cereal-bowl-with-both-hands-and-slurping-up-all-the-sugary-milk/
First of all, this is my first comment, and I want to thank you, Neil, for all of your hard work. You have reminded me on more than a few occasions to look at the positive and find something that is good, no matter how small, and focus on it rather than the negative surrounding it. So you are AWESOME!!
Yeah – Neil’s alright, I guess..
Imagine if he chooses to pick himself as awesome thing #549.. That’d be hilarious.. “Hey guys.. we ran this big contest.. you came up with 1,500 awesome ideas.. but yeah, I picked myself as being the most awesome thing on the list!”
HA!
Freddo, are you really Neil with a pseudonym? Because, what are the odds of two guys who know each other, sounding so alike and awesome?
Hmmm.. Interesting theory, Amy! Have you ever seen Neil and me in the same place at the same time? Time to crank up the rumor mill!
But I’m fine with that theory – as long as “Freddo” is Neil’s cooler and better-looking alter ego! I don’t want to be the nerdy Clark Kent to his Superman.
Having that random conversation with a stranger.
You’ll be sitting there at the doctors office with no one you know around, and awkwardness in the air. Then all of a sudden, the little old lady beside you will start talking. She’ll talk, and sometimes will tell you all about why she’s there (WAY to much informatio sometimes.)
Or you’ll be on the street, just walking, and then you’ll make this epic jump over a mud puddle, and then that guy walking by will notice and say something and make you feel so much better about the coolness you just committed.
Honestly, it’s awesome.
I agree with you Lela, but it’s also awesome when you find out that you have some unusual connection to what you thought was a stranger. For example, I was in a bus station and started speaking to a woman next to me and as we talked it turned out that she lived in a small town next to my small town. And she was from a family that I had heard about from my father when I was growing up. It was like almost meeting a celebrity for me.
Here is an idea:
It is AWESOME when you have been hiking for hours and you finally get to a place where all of that hard work pays off with a view that couldn’t be had any other way!! After stream crossings on log bridges, switchbacks, the long, monotonous walk through nothing but trees as far as the eye can see, maybe a glimpse of a deer, elk, or big horn sheep, very challenging steep uphill climbs, scree crossings; all with a backpack with your food and a tent, and all that you will need to stay the night (or a couple of days) on your back.
(Feel free to reword as you see fit)
Seems like there are already a bunch of comments with my idea for an awesome thing but I’ll say it anyways.
You may have seen it in the movies when the generic lead female is waiting at the airport her generic lead male counterpart to return from a business trip (or if the lead male is Will Smith, he’s returning from saving the world). Their eyes lock across the room, they drop whatever they’re holding, and they run into each other’s arms.
It’s that long, blissful, perfect hug with someone you haven’t seen in a while. Be it a family member who lives too far away, a friend who just came back from college, or a loved one who you just can’t stand to be away from for more than a day at a time…the excitement and joy of that first reunion hug makes up for the sadness of having been apart from each other for too long.
P.S.
AWESOME! :D
Waking up at 2:00 a.m., checking the clock and realizing you still have four more hours to sleep.
Everyone’s favorite..
http://1000awesomethings.com/2009/05/07/771-waking-up-before-your-alarm-clock-and-realizing-youve-got-lots-of-sleep-time-left/
When a random stranger gives you a compliment
Also rewarding: having the courage to compliment a complete stranger, and knowing you have totally made their day and that you will be the topic of their conversation later that day when they tell their friends the story of how some nice person complimented them. Pretty awesome.
When you pronounce a really hard name/word on the first try!!!
Here’s one- New Contacts Day. That awesome day every month where you get to peel those crusty, achy old contacts out for good and pop in a brand new, smooth, perfectly clear pair. Ahhh…
Lice checks at school…because nothing feels better than getting a 20 minute break from your math class to get some shuteye while well-meaning mommy volunteers delicately parse across your scalp!
Coke on tap. Especially when the mixture of syrup to carbonation to ice is just right. Ahhh….
When you win something when you were sure you couldn’t win.
You know, it happened to me only once in my life. But what a great feeling. All you can do is smile until your cheeks hurt and jump everywhere and grab the first person you see and force him to dance with you.
Awesome: Being the first one in the bathroom stall in the morning after it’s been cleaned the night before. There is it, staring me in the face – the open lid! And smelling that cleaning solution just reminds me my butt is the first one to touch the throne. AWESOME!
Oh, the open lid! So key!
Direct Deposit paychecks. Because you don’t have to go to the office to pick it up. You can sleep in. You can take the day off. You can go shopping with the new money put into your account. All without having to step foot into the office. AWESOME!
when you wake up and think you’re late for work and then you realize it’s saturday!!!!!
Finishing an assignment early.
You know that you’ve got a big assignment waiting for you when you enter class. You walk in, head down, fearing the amount of work ahead of you.
Then, by some twist of fate, you begin work and realize, hey, this isn’t so bad!
You finish your work, look up at the clock and notice that you’ve finished early. Wow! Now you’ve got time to play on the internet, text, or check http://www.1000awesomethings.com
It’s AWESOME.
Getting your roommate’s old stuff that they don’t want anymore when they move out.. awesome!
Parking spots: really really good parking spots, especially when you are in a rush and you just need to pop in some place and that one spot closest to your destination is open: it is as though the world has reserved that spot just for you. Awesome.
Not having to drive to the very top of the parking garage is also very rewarding.
playing frisbee in the park the first warm and sunny day after winter.
Stumbling into something that reminds you of your childhood… for example, I had Jello in shapes of stars the other day and it reminded me of the times when I used to make funny shaped jello with my mom as a kid. It brought a smile to my face because I remembered the excitment I would feel from something so simple. AWESOME!
Perfectly Applying a Temporary Tattoo: Come on, we all know any type of tattoo application is difficult. Permanent ones are risky and painful, and temporary ones are tricky. So when you peal back the gooey piece of paper to reveal a smooth, no bumps and no tear image of the tattoo, make sure you smile when you mumble…AWESOME!
Underdogs.
Flipping through the channels mindlessly, you stumble upon a tennis tournament and you don’t care who wins. So you pick the one with the higher number next to their name.
Or, when it gets to be this time of year when offices and friends hold competitions for March Madness brackets, you KNOW you have to incorporate some underdogs defeating powerhouse teams because each year, some team that isn’t supposed to make it very far keeps winning and most everybody cheers for them, giving them more and more confidence, each game bigger than the last.
‘Cause when underdogs succeed, it inspires awakens the sentiment in you: “I’m not the best at what I do, but that could be me.”
‘Cause underdogs get the dramatic clap that starts out slow and methodical with more and more people joining in, like at the end of Rudy.
So, whether it be in front of a national audience as the broadcasters spout cliches about David and Goliath or whether your sphere is a more private one, keep at it underdog. Everyone’s cheering for you. You’re totally
AWESOME!
Random compliments you don’t expect. I was on maternity leave for a year and returned to work and got lots of “glad to have you back” type comments, which was nice. But when I still got the occasional one two or three months later, that felt really good :)
Having that oh so needed mid-day snack successfully fall from the vending machine. Seems rather routine, put the money in, press the magic number….then…hold…breath…until the Snickers unwinds from that black spirally thing, listen for the sound of the thump, reassuring you that the Snickers is within reach! Pretty simple, but pretty awesome.
Glimpsing the first hazy green signs of spring. It’s been a long, cold, monochromatic winter and then finally those first green blades of grass poke their resilient heads through to the sunlight. Awesome!
Remembering that you can breathe through your nose when you’re drinking from the water fountain.
My cousin actually brought this up and it’s so damn true – I get done drinking from a water fountain and hope that no one is around to witness the huffing and puffing that occurs afterward. Drinking water shouldn’t feel like you were just under water for 5 minutes. Breathing through your nose. Awesome.
Finding a song or band before any of your friends do.
You’re on itunes, scanning through your favorite artist’s hits and you scroll all the way down and read a title you’ve never heard of. You preview and it’s amazing! You buy it right away and listen to it about fifteen times so you can learn all the words.
Next time you have all your friends in the car, you put on the new jam. As the song begins, your friends expressions are mixed with perplexity and wonder. You hear a few recognize the artists style or voice but you hear mumbles of “Is this ____? It kind of sounds like him.” Then! The chorus comes and the car is ROCKIN! You’re feeling cool as you sing all the words and everyone is dancing. This leaves you with permanent bragging rights as the rest of the car asks you for details on this song in preparation of going home to download it. From then on, every time that song comes on, you can yell “I FOUND THIS SONG GUYS!”
AWESOME.
That rare moment when you are on your morning commute and suddenly all of the cars around you happen to be going the exact speed you are, and it seems like you and your car compatriots are perfectly still while the road and world around you are the moving part in the equation, speeding past your windows and under your tires.
Then someone steps on the gas and suddenly the calm still of synchronicity melts away into everyone doing their own thing at their own speed again. But for that brief second you shared a moment with those strangers who knew just how much pressure to put on their gas pedal to create a moment of awesome.
Winning a great prize in a competition that was (pretty much) free to enter.
Last year I won a t shirt from buying a packet of chips and Beyonce tickets from buying a packet of chewing gum. That was really awesome. :D
To compete for your idea here!
Being Rockupied
This is when you’re rocking out to a song in your car, you get home before it’s over, but you’re so into the song that you stay in your car and rock out until the very last bar. So awesome.
Rockupied! Add it to the dictionary. Love it.
The New Orleans’ Saints winning the Superbowl! Hands down the most AWESOMEST day of my short life.
soooooooooo true
kicking your shoes off while swinging REALLY high on a swing. how far can they go?
an electric blanket on a cold night.
Winning family game night.
With your family, you don’t have to be a good sport! That means that when you win, you can rub it in as much as you want. So go ahead sing, and dance your little heart out.
Winning family game night.
With your family, you don’t have to be a good sport! That means that when you win, you can rub it in as much as you want. So go ahead sing and dance your little heart out.
When cafeteria food is actually good.
You stand in line, and then when your turn comes all you can see is the might be tofu might be chicken stew that looks like it might have some green in there but you cant really tell through all the brown mush. And then somebody walks out of the kitchen with a fresh section of tacos or spaghetti and your heart stops. For the first (and probably only) time you can actually eat dinner without crying when you look at it. :)
#3 – cracking your knuckles (or your back, or your neck, or anything that cracks)
Sure, Mom might wince and your friends might stare at you as though you’ve just taken off your skin, but that satisfying snap and feeling of release is enough to get you through the next few minutes feeling more at ease. And that qualifies as
AWESOME!
When you receive a package you weren’t expecting, or had forgotten you had ordered! Awesome!
#4 – Reading an old bedtime book
Imagine: you’re babysitting your little niece or next-door neighbor, and it’s time for a story before lights out. Little One picks out her favorite book and you’re immediately plunged back into your own childhood worlds: Goodnight, Moon. Where the Wild Things Are. Harold and the Purple Crayon. Use funny voices when necessary, and enjoy your trip to the childhood world of
AWESOME!
When a complete stranger gives a positive comment about your comment. Like the long conversations I’ve seen here, or the “thumbs up” at youtube.
#9 – Biking down a hill
The wind whips past your face and you squint your eyes against the speed; close them for a few seconds if you dare. Don’t let those wheels fool you: you’re flying.
AWESOME!
#10 – Family road trips
You have to get on the road early, so all the kids go back to sleep as soon as you get in the car. You go to rest stops and fast food places looking like you’ve just been pulled backward through a car wash. You listen to books on tape, play the alphabet game, and On-The-Road Bingo. You are savvy travelers
#11 – Finishing a really good book
Take a deep breath as you come to those last few sentences. Let those words wash over you, then close the book and breathe a sigh as you slowly emerge from the world you just occupied for the last hundred pages.
You might just turn back to the first page and start the adventure all over again.
AWESOME!
#29 – Good hair days
“Well, good morning, beautiful!” your reflection in the mirror greets you. Although you have spent the last eight hours in catatonic dreamland with your head mashed into your pillow, the experience has only served to make your hair flawless. Going to bed with a wet head is a gamble, but this morning it paid off. Every curl adheres to the larger picture, and that picture is:
AWESOME!
#34 – Going up the down escalator
You have to run a little more (which defeats the purpose of an escalator), but the workout is worth it. You reach the top feeling like you’ve achieved the impossible – and broken a rule while you’re at it.
Bonus points if the security guard watches you do it and congratulates you when you reach the top.
AWESOME!
When the power goes out at work and you get sent home for the rest of the day, where the power is still on!
#41 – The boyfriend/girlfriend smell
He might be on a week-long trip. Maybe she’s away at camp. But they left you something to remember them by: whether she sprayed her perfume on your pillow or he left you his sweatshirt, that smell becomes your escape. When the missing hurts too much, just bury your face in that smell and breathe deeply. In that moment, you can see her eyes or you can hear his laugh. The separation might be difficult, but this momentary refuge is
AWESOME!