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!
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Tip-toeing through a room full of people who are sleeping, and not waking anybody up.
Taking a bucket shower in 30 degree weather.
If you don’t know what a bucket shower is, it’s amazing. You fill up a five gallon bucket of water, bring it to your stall, which is outside and it has no roof so you get fresh air, and then use a smaller bucket, with holes in the bottom of it, to scoop out water and pour it over your body while standing in the five gallon bucket.
I took a bucket shower in the mountains of West Virginia and it was such a thrill. Awesome!
When you’re eating the last of your food,and you realize that remaining portion tastes better than the majority of the meal.
Be it cereal or some steaming soup, we tend to savor that last bit of it, making it all the more delicious. ^^
Awesome!!!
Looking through your old yearbooks!
And cringing at the terrible hair/fashion sense you used to have!
*now wants to go find her old yearbook*
Being barefoot.
The softness of the just-barely-past-muddy grass. The slight pain of the gravel. The battle scars from the sticks that attack you. The pine needles that stick to that sap. Not worrying about getting your shoes wet or muddy. The warmth in your toes when you first step into a building.
AWESOME!
Sesame Street.
Since so many people only watch it as kids, they always forget the lessons that Sesame Street stresses so much.
And hey, these lessons are really important for when you get older. Sharing, playing nice, realizing it’s okay to cry, and finding happiness in things like singing are all things older people need to realize too. Somehow along the way though we forget those lessons.
So, three cheers for awesome puppets who sing and dance and provide awesome child entertainment! yay :D
oh, and just throwing this in the mix since i’ve been thinking about it, whoever came up with the icons that people get when they submit a comment is awesome. they’re all so unique and intriguing, and i love the one i ended up with :D
Easter Egg Hunts When You Were Young.
When you were a kid, you’d wake up early and hope the Easter Bunny had come the night before and left you with some chocolately surprises. You’d slowly crawl out of bed, rubbing your eyes you’d reach for the handle on your bedroom door. It would creak open… And then you’d see it. The path of brightly coloured foil wrapped awesomeness leading to the family room where you’d find chocolates hidden in every nook and cranny of the place. And the race was on from the time you opened your bedroom door – it was a race to beat your sibling(s) to find the most chocolate. And even though your mom and dad would make you split them evenly in the end, you still wanted to have the bragging rights for the rest of the day. It was all over in 10 minutes. But it was AWESOME!
When a person or pet falls asleep on you :-).
totally awesome!
Saying something obscure at the same time as your friend.
Let’s face it; we’ve all gotten weird looks from our friends when we’ve said something off key. Time and time again, you’ve made the mistake. Then, as soon as your beginning to say something weird, your friend starts to speak. What’s this? He’s saying the same exact thing as me? Now, instead of apologizing for saying something awkward, you let the high-fives commence! Because for that small moment in time, you were both thinking exactly the same thought, and you’re not alone in you obscure ways.
AWESOME!
Your favorite sneakers
They’re ripped, torn, and nasty. But you love them. Each rip and stain has a story to tell. There’s that scratching on the right side of your left shoe from where you got caught in the blackberry bushes playing hide and seek- and on the right tip there’s a big splattering of mud from when you slipped and fell in high school trying to make it back before curfew.
Although your spouse may hide them, your dog may gnaw them, or your parents may toss them, you always manage to rescue them just in the nick of time. You brush them off, give the offender a dirty look, and proudly display them by your front door, on your shoe rack, or, best yet, on your feet.
They’re nasty, dirty, and disgusting, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are your favorite old sneakers, and they are…
AWESOME!
i know. i love seeing my shoes get more and more worn down and broken in. they feel more like a part of me. you said it best; they have a story to tell. reminds me of http://1000awesomethings.com/2010/02/04/576-appreciating-the-beauty-of-all-your-bodys-scars-and-scratches/
you know what i find really awesome…
how tight i am with my entire family.
cuz without them, there would be no me.
When you meet the band.
A few years back, I discovered a band called the Republic Tigers. I had only heard one of their songs, and I knew it as the “mountains” song, but I adored that song. One day, as I went to listen to the song on their Myspace page, I saw it; they were coming to a bar two hours away from me in two weeks. Ecstatic, I called up my friends as we planned a trip to see them. We bought their CD, memorized all their lyrics, and made matching band t-shirts to wear to their concert.
Excitedly, we made our way over to the town and walked into the bar. As soon as we walked in, we saw them by their booth. We anxious flaunted our t-shirts as we walked by before a member of the band stopped us. “Are those shirts for us?” Yes, yes they are! Of course we drove 2 hours to see you, and of course we’ll talk to all of you for an hour before and an hour following the show! After pictures and drunken promises that they’d return soon, we left the bar with euphoria. And for that night, the groupie-in-me’s life was complete.
AWESOME!
When you take a test and you’re expecting a bad score but find out that you did okay or even better
When your muscles are sore and then you stretch. You have that refreshing yet painful feeling.
Having a crush on someone and finding out that they like you back
Having the first or last bite of someone else’s food
Being totally new at something (school, sport, music) and be surrounded by nice, funny people
When you lose contact of a friend for a few years and then seeing them again. The best part is that they remember you, and then become close friends again
Having a family, because many people around the world lost theirs to earthquakes, famine, war, etc. Sometimes it’s awesome just to appreciate the most obvious things. Whether it being a pet or even a memory.
It’s awesome not to worry about if there’s enough food, clean water, a home, or even surviving the night. Some people just have it too hard. We should be thankful for the things we already have, even taxes because we have jobs, money, and my birthday is on tax day :D
The smart feeling you get after finishing a looooong book.
The feeling of being in limbo….whether it’s on a plane, watching a movie, at the laundromat, or in the middle of a road trip…there is nothing you can do but sit and enjoy that which you are doing right in that moment…pure transition, neither here nor there, that feeling of being free and uninhibited with your mind. Awesome!
When someone you met a long time ago remembers your name. Makes you feel real special! (hopefully you remembered his or hers)
The feeling you have after walking away from a big test. Whether it’s the bar exam, MCAT, SAT, ACT, midterms or finals…no matter how great or not great you thought you did…one thing is for certain, it’s done! You can’t do any more preparation, and although you and your friend are talking about your answers to the really tough questions, you all can rest assured knowing that it’s beyond your control and you can move on with your life once again.
The three day, no shaving, beard stubble…
Because being lazy never looked so good!
AWESOME!
The Big Fat Snowflakes of winter. Instead of your normal run-of-the-mill skinny snowflakes that drop to the ground and don’t do anything fun, the Big Fat Snowflakes fall gracefully to the Earth and stick perfectly onto anything it touches, creating that magical winter wonderland that makes those cold months almost bearable
Immediately after getting your braces removed…never before has anything felt so smooth as when you get to rub your tongue against your teeth! Nothing has tasted so good as eating a whole apple, caramel (or why not both?), chewing on bubble gum, or cracking open sunflower seeds! Sweet precious (and beautiful) relief!
Cast-iron frying pans: Because the less you clean and the more that sticks, the greater the flavor!
The feeling of walking out of extremely humid, arid, or just an obscenely hot climate, and walking into an air conditioned room
Becoming a global citizen. For all the challenge, stress, and loneliness that can accompany living abroad, it’s all worth it for those moments when you are welcomed into another world, a new culture, a hospitable host family, sacred rites or rituals, and a new language. Nothing feels better than having our large, massive world shrink just a little bit, enough to make you feel like you belong.
Looking at all of your college/grad school application packets, cozily sealed in their envelopes, before you go to the post office to send them off to their academic fates. Because at that moment, you’ve completed a herculean task, written countless essays, and have become an expert promoter of yourself, and after that…it’s all up to fate and out of your hands!
That moment when you have had a stuffy nose long enough for it to be a bother, and all of the sudden, without any explanation, your nostrils clear up and you can breath easily again! Bliss!
Pouring the perfect milk-to-cereal ratio is pretty awesome. No need to get up for more of either ingredient, just delicious, cold, crunchy breakfast!
the first spring day you open your windows
flip-flops – its like a bikini for your feet, enough said
The type of kiss that you get from your bf/gf when you have done something awesome for them and it has made them really happy. You know, like…holding each others faces, lots of little kisses interspersed with genuine smiling. It rules!
Being proud of a parent.
Sure you want them to be “the cool parent” when you’re in high school. But after graduating college, growing up a bit, and watching my mom go back to work and totally succeed at what she’s doing…well, now I know what it feels like to be a proud mom because I am one very proud kid.
When a comic strip completely sums up your life. You cut it out and stick it on the fridge with a magnet, and everyone who walks by laughs because it is SO YOU!
Awesome!
Calling in sick to work when your not really sick.
Meeting someone with the same birthday as you
Winning free stuff is always awesome. Whether its from a radio trivia quiz, or a contest among friends, free stuff is always awesome.
Four thousand years (B.C.) a Greek philosopher observed that “Man is not disturbed by events but by his interpretation of them.” So pay close attention to your self-talk. Interesting that I’ve discovered, and you could try it out … ask yourself or ask anyone “how would you describe the state of the world these days? Like, as far as you’re concerned, how are things going?What’s the outlook for us and the world we live in?
Invariably, their response will be a fairly accurate description of themselves at that point in time!
Being in control of the remote. The person in our house is usually hubby. But when he gets up, I grab the remote real quick…and its mine. :-)
Going through your old boxes and finding really old toys you used to play with. Those “vintage” toys. The Alf stuffed animal, stretch armstrong, that Barbie you forgot all about-the one you cut the hair off of and now she’s bald, those little GI Joes-not like the big ones they have out now…..oh I could go on forever…
Sauna in the morning — there is nothing more amazing than that!!! At its best it is a continuation of your amazing idea #554 — one gets out of pajamas to have a good long steamy sauna session only to get back into pajamas (fresh ones, please) for the rest of the day. But it does not hurt the amazing morning sauna experience even if one cannot stay in pajamas for the whole day..
During Christmas holidays we had a morning sauna with our 4 children and then “dressed-up” into the new pajamas … and had a family brunch (which is another amazing idea), watched some dvd’s and just hung out together all day. This was such an amazing experience for our 4-year-old twins that on spring break their request in the evening(s) was : can we please have a morning sauna tomorrow? And we did — several times during that week (in addition to many “normal” evening sauna sessions).
Regards from Finland — Manna
Today when I put the chese back in the zip lock bag that it came in I was able to zip it on the first try. This is especially awesome when it is in the original bag and not a zip lock I had to transfer the product to because of difficulties with the original bag. I said totally awesome this morning.
When you come in after a long hot summer day of labour and take a cool shower, then lie on your bed in just your towel and have a power nap.
That is awesome…
When someone needs your special skill (nunchuk or computer or ability to lift 100 lbs over your head) and you are at the right place at the right time, and are able to help them out.
So I guess the concise version would be
– knowing your special skill
– timing
– helping someone in need
We are constantly surrounded by awesomeness, when we foget that we just need to open our eyes wide and have a look around…
Really craving that cold can of Pepsi, then chugging it as hard as you can, but you KNOW as soon as you stop, that agonizing carbonation burn is going to hit you.
That is a sign of an ice cold Pepsi.
When someone needs your special skill (nunchuk or computer or ability to lift 100 lbs over your head) and you are at the right place at the right time, and are able to help them out.
So I guess the concise version would be
– knowing your special skill
– timing
– helping someone in need
We are constantly surrounded by awesomeness, when we foget that we just need to open our eyes wide and have a look around…
Flirting with strangers – the innocent, no expectations, fun, casual, ‘just to be nice’ flirt. When the man behind the deli counter says “here you are bella” as he hands you your sliced ham. Or when the nice bus driver says, “your welcome love”. Or when you help out a woman who has just dropped her bags and she says “thanks handsome”. Sometimes I think we are too ‘PC’ in today’s world, but it always brings a smile to my face when someone throws out that extra-nice/flirty compliment/thank-you/greeting whatever.
that first moment when you run into someone out of context.
Like when you’re a kid and you see your teacher in the grocery store, or go to their house for hallowe’en but you didn’t know they live there.
Or when you run into a coworker you don’t know well at a concert and you’re both super into it.
That first moment of complete non-recognition, where both of you sort of screw up your face for a half a second, then realize who it is and both of you laugh.
…awesome
Being the only one to understand an obscure reference.
My math teacher used to constantly reference Monty Python and the Muppets, and though neither of them are really that obscure, most of the class didn’t catch them. I almost always did and would laugh loudly. Though the rest of the class gave me funny looks it was worth it for the satisfaction of knowing.
Having a friend introduce you to something new, or doing the same for them. My friends have introduced me to new music, TV shows (especially British ones), games, stand-up comedians, and more fun stuff. Every time I watch Doctor Who or the IT Crowd, watch or listen to Eddie Izzard or Mitch Hedberg’s stand-up, or listen to any ska band, I’m reminded of the friends who first introduced me to those things, even if we haven’t seen each other since high school or college. Exposure to something cool and new plus a reminder of old friends equals…
AWESOME!
Ballet dancers anyone?
Wearing your very old but very confortable pointe shoes, they might be hideous, but they are definitely awesome!
The smell of old books. When you buy a book from the charity shop and its one of those old school books (ie not a pretty colourful cover) and then you just gotta open it and smell the age, the people who’ve loved that book before and the stories inside ready to be read
I’ve a lovely old copy of Paradise Lost that makes me think this.
When you are listening to a song in the car and it ends just as you pull into your parking spot.
Especially if it’s a song you love because then you don’t have to sit in your car and wait to listen to the rest of it!