Toss it mean and catch it clean.
Drop that jaw, tilt that head, and let’s get down to business:
• Level 1: Pop Practice. It’s important to start small with popcorn. There are no penalties for misses here, since the corn is light and doesn’t collect much dust if it hits the ground. This is a baby step and it will take time to master, but it’s an important rite of passage before hitting the next levels. (Note: In some circles, this level also covers marshmallows, Cheerios, and Corn Pops.) 5 points.
• Level 2: The Grape Beyond. Yup, next step is big ol’ grapes. Usually someone on the other end of the movie couch is munching on the vine in their own little bowl. If you’re feeling a bit hungry, simply drop your mouth and tap the couch cushion while saying ‘Uhn! Uhnnnnn!’ to get their attention. Soon a cold, hard grape should be flying fast at you. If the toss is good you should catch it perfectly. Other fruits like raspberries and strawberries fit here as well. 10 points.
• Level 3: Dog On A Bone. This extremely advanced move involves catching something larger than your actual mouth. An apple, peeled orange, or corn on a cob are good targets. You need to time the molar chomp perfectly and be prepared for embarrassing T-shirt stains and a black eye. 25 points.
Yes, when you catch food in your mouth you’re suddenly sitting high on top of the snack-eating universe. You’ve just combined equal parts laziness and athletic ability in a daring couch potato feat the likes of which this family room has never seen before. So when you nail it smoothly you know what to do.
Chomp it loud.
Chew it proud.
AWESOME!
When your friends tell you they saw something that reminded them of you! AWESOME!
Cool Old People. I’m talking about the ones that would swear at you, punch pretend robbers out at amusement parks and teach their grandkids how to gamble at a young age. They may tell you the same story 5 times, but rest assured that it will be
AWESOME
The Holiday Road
When you set off on holidays and you drive past the point where you would drive for work, or school or to visit a friend and the only point to being on that piece of road is to take you to your holiday destination. That’s when the holiday really begins…
The indisputable power of dibs and calling shotgun. Doesn’t matter how old you are, first to call it gets it.
Being spontanious.
I usually follow a routine. Work, home, sleep. Weekends I visit friends or family, go shopping or something like that. But when I get off my daily routine and do something spur of the moment or go somewhere without planning it out….its awesome! An unplanned road trip…anything… doing something out of the ordinary at the last moment is awesome.
Yes, spontaneity is really awesome. You don’t have any expectations, so everything that happens turns out to be pretty great.
That intense eye dialogue that communicates anything and everything right before…BOOM. Both parties engage in a passionate make out sesh.
A new month.
I don’t know what it is about the start of a new month for me, but it feels like a clean start. New holidays, new deadlines for work, new events to attend. Whether it’s the 30th, 31st (I guess also the 28/29) I get excited at the thought that the next day will start fresh.
It’s like a mini New Year :)
Rainboots.
Jumping in puddles is really fun – the satisfying splash, the feeling of freedom. But walking home or lasting the day in tragically soggy pants is a recipe for sadness…or pneumonia. Solution? Rainboots – they make you feel invincible and provide the divine justification for jumping, splashing and tomfoolery that results after a gloriously rainy day. The sun will come out tomorrow, but not before you do some epic puddle jumping. AWESOME!
Receiving a note from a best friend.
It could be a simple “Good Morning!” text message or email, but the best ever is finding a hidden note. The sticky note that was hidden inside your textbook/notebook for you to find when you open up for homework can instantly take the dread of doing the homework to remembering the great friend that you have through it all. It can be a hidden note found when you really needed it, like walking over to your desk to make a never ending to do list while you’re totally stressing, and looking over at the post-it stack with a “Thanks for being my friend!” or a simple smiley face or an inside joke written on the very top. It’s at that moment that you realize you are totally loved- they took the time out to secretly place it there, just for you to find later so that your bright smile comes across your face and makes your day instantly better, even if only for a minute.
It Finally Clicks…
You know when you go to a professional development session, a public speaking event or a guest speaker came to your team meeting. Something about the content resonated with you, but you just can’t seem to put your finger on. Or, you know exactly what it was that you liked, but you were so caught up in getting thrown back into the daily grind that you didn’t have time to properly reflect on or put to use what it was that really hit home.
Working at a ropes challenge course with groups of youth or adults, it is my job to give them an experience that will make an impact on their regular environment. I create metaphors for activites. I front load a group initiative. I set them up for “that moment”. Unfortunately, they’re not always pickin’ up what I’m puttin’ down. But occassionally I get credit for the assist. What is the greatest is hearing back from someone that it finally clicked. Somewhere down the line, they got it and they were able to use it.
Personally, I attend a training to make me better at what I do. I get really excited about it, or I get overwhelmed about this new method/evaluation tool/process. Somewhere down the road, when I least expect it, usually in the shower, it clicks. My head cocks to the side, my left eye usually squints a little and I realize that I just got it.
Kind of like finally understanding the punchline to that joke you heard the other day. And now it all makes sense.
That’s awesome.
The three-fingered wave!
Whether you’re driving past someone you know and you lift three fingers off the steering wheel in acknowledgment or you’re driving a Wrangler or a motorcycle and you lift your fingers to say “hey buddy, you get it,” when you pass another gal driving a Wrangler or motorcycle. This wave also works well when you’re jogging and you pass another jogger
When your on a super long road trip in a very unfamiliar area, you have to pee like it’s goin’ out of style, and you finally come across a gas station, coffee shop, etc. Ahhhh…. relief!!
When you switch seasonal jackets and find a money you had forgot about in the pocket from last year. It doesn’t matter if it’s a dollar or ten bucks, it’s still awesome!
I used to do that on purpose, leave a 5 or 10 dollar bill in my winter coat so I could find it next year. Which is awesome…unless part-way through the year you remember you put it there and you really need five dollars so you take it. I did that once and was totally disappointed. :-P
For those folks out there who live in nice sunny places year round, I’m talking about that one huge fluffy ridiculously warm coat you can ONLY wear in the depths of winter mid-January. The midwest understands this…
When your new baby does a ‘true’, ‘definately not gas’ for real smile for the first time. :)
Waking up in the middle of the night thinking it’s already morning and then realizing it’s still night and you can keep on sleeping! AWESOME!
Taking a nap in the evening and waking around 6 or 7 pm and thinking its morning. I did this a lot as a kid.
You missed a very important, plot altering episode of your favorite show… then you realize it’s playing again in a couple hours. You even have time to get on your comfy clothes and get a good snack ready first! Awesome!
That first sip of your morning coffee… awesome.
#201 – Retracing a CRAZY train of thought
Have you ever done this? You let your mind drift, and by the time you reel it back in, you’re thinking about giant wheels of cheese. “How…how did I get there?” you ask yourself. You become a detective. Retracing your mental footsteps is a tricky process, because your neurons fire so quickly that they don’t leave much of a trail behind. Let’s see: These thoughts of giant cheese wheels came to your mind when you remembered your dream last night, in which you were a tiny mouse eating an enormous wheel of gouda; the dream was brought to mind when you were mentally reviewing what you brought for lunch, and you remembered that there was that stick of string cheese tucked in among the peanut butter and jelly and pudding cup. This lunch inventory was inspired by the fact that it’s 11:12, a fact that you noticed after reading the 1000 Awesome Things entry on “11:11.” So you got from this website to string cheese. It’s like 6 Degrees To Kevin Bacon, but with your MIND!
AWESOME!
OMG YES!!! I do this all the time. I always end up trailing off to crazy places and then wondering how I got there.
Almost everytime I have a conversation with my boss I have to backtrack to remember what we first started talking about. A question about work turnes into a story from a few years ago which reminds me of something a friend did. And of course that makes her think of something her granddaughter said and I chime in about my daughter.
It is awesome!!!!
#227 – Calling your friends’ parents “Mom and Dad”
You don’t have to ring the doorbell; you just open up the door and walk into your second home. As you kick off your shoes and head to the refrigerator to see what new snacks have appeared in your absence, you run into the people who actually live there. They greet you with smiles and hugs; they’re happy to see you. They’re your second parents. It doesn’t matter that their child (the one you came to see) is upstairs playing video games. You sit and chat with “Mom and Dad” for awhile while “Dad” grabs you something to drink. Having a second set of parents is
AWESOME!
#286 – Squeaky helium voices
My friends and I spent an entire New Year’s Eve inhaling the contents of balloons and singing songs or reciting speeches. Sure, it kills off a few brain cells; but if you’re amused by how goofy everyone’s voice is when they sound like babies, you’re probably not too worried about those little lost brain soldiers. Admit it: those voices are ridiculously funny.
AWESOME!
#308 – When new friends meet (and LOVE) old friends
If you’re like me, you just assume that everyone YOU know knows everyone else. In my head, my friends from college are best friends with my high school buddies. When you finally realize that’s not the case, you decide to remedy this situation and have everyone meet for dinner and drinks.
As it turns out, you were completely right. Everyone spends the night talking and laughing; you sit back and feel like the hub of the social wheel as you review the friendship connections you made. Your college roommate and one of your best friends from high school choir are deep in conversation; your work buddy is flirting shamelessly with an old family friend. At the end of the night, everyone exchanges numbers and promises to get together again soon. You helped spread the joy of friendship and love: you are
AWESOME!
#329 – Cars with personality
Big Bertha, my red Olds 88, is convinced that she is a monster. When I turn off the engine, she locks all of the doors. However, she only does this every once in awhile; usually when I have other people in the car with me. It’s as if she thinks by locking us in, we are trapped in the belly of the beast.
She’s reliable, substantial, and just a little quirky. She’s
AWESOME!
One of my friends had to drive her dad’s old clunker when she turned 16. Trying to make a good situation out of a not so good one, she cleaned it up inside and out and we took it out on its maiden voyage. We drove it around town and then ventured onto the highway … where we discovered that going 60 MPH or faster made the dashboard shake so intensely that it was hard for her to hold the steering wheel. It was scary but hilarious! She named it Shake’n’Bake (though there was no baking in the car, literally or otherwise). ;D
#339 – Having more money in your account than you thought
Someone must have cashed a paycheck for you or something, because that number is a LOT higher than you had anticipated.
(I think someone else might have already submitted this, but it’s still something
AWESOME!)
#341 – Dreaming in a foreign language
My friend Sarah once dreamed that she was driving down the highway in a convertible, top down, wind streaming through her hair. She threw her arms in the air, tossed her head back, and yelled, ‘QUELQUEFOIIIIIIIIIS!!!” (Which means “Sometimes!” in French.)
Have you had those? Where you wake up and realize that you were just conversing with your dream friends in a language of which you have practically no knowledge, but you understood each other perfectly. Understanding is great, and dreams are
AWESOME!
If you actually study a foreign language for years in school, dreaming in it is like a sign you’re getting close to fluent/conversational. And makes all those hours of work totally worth it. Awesome!
#362 – When it’s your birthday on the clock:
This happens every time I see 7:31 on any clock: “Hey! It’s my birthday-time!
AWESOME!”
Haha! I do this with my address, too. Well — one of them (my parents’ house) anyway! I’d have to be using military time to pull off doing it with the other (my apartment).
#364 – Being on the roof of anything
…as long as you don’t get caught (if you’re not supposed to be there) or fall off.
If you’re careful and quiet, you can spend time people-watching from above, or star-watching from below, or just sitting and thinking. That little bit of perspective and time alone is
AWESOME!
A safe and legal alternative: deserted parking garage roofs. I agree, though.
#374 – When someone writes a song / poem for you
Maybe your kids did a little song and dance that they wrote for your birthday, or maybe your boyfriend dedicated a verse or two to you in the creative writing magazine. Whatever the case may be, that little bit of art was meant for you, and that’s something
AWESOME!
Yes, my daughters have written some delightful and heart-warming poems and letters to me. Makes me feel like I may have done some things quite alright after-all.
#378 – Drawing on your skin with pen or marker
Sometimes I do it to remind myself of an appointment (“Lynn 2:30!!”) or just general pieces of advice for the day (“Smile!”). Other times, it’s a self-given tattoo; the pen tickles as I draw a flower on my ankle. Mom used to get mad because I would come home from school with a veritable mural on the underside of my arm. Still: all the colors, and the way the marker spreads into the little wrinkles of your skin are
AWESOME!
I did this the other day, and after a long bout of sitting fist-to-cheek, I had a reminder on both my hand AND my face. Haha.
#401 – Being a girl & peeing in the boys’ bathroom
We’ve all done it: you really really REALLY have to go; you’re doing The Potty Dance, and there’s a line four or five people deep before you can reach relief. So you grab a friend and ask them to peer into the opposite sex’s bathroom. Sure enough, it’s wide open. You have your friend stand guard as you creep into the Forbidden Bathroom and do your business. Not only did you not wet yourself, but there’s something fun about peeing where you’re “not allowed.”
AWESOME!
#403 – Recognizing a tune someone is whistling
I was waiting for the bus, and the gentleman next to me was whistling something that sounded oddly like “Night and Day.” I had to ask if that’s what he was singing; it was. We then proceeded to have a conversation about our favorite Cole Porter songs. After we parted, I had that song stuck in my head the rest of the day. It was
AWESOME!
#433 – Taking roadtrip pictures by state signs / weird statues
Welcome to Wisconsin. Maryland Welcomes You. You have albums upon albums’ worth of pictures like these – you’re posing by some state-shaped sign and grinning: Look, Ma, we made it!
Or, if you’ve been to the Midwest, you might have stopped to ogle the World’s Largest Ball of Twine. Maybe the World’s Largest Skillet caught your eye. It might have just been that giant mosquito statue on the side of the road. Whatever it is, you now how proof that you are well-traveled. You have seen the world (and most of its Largest things). You are a savvy traveler, and that makes you
AWESOME!
OR state border signs, like the Four Corners (though I heard a while back that the visitor’s spot for this notorious location is actually incorrect) or something.
Two-hour delays
6 AM: your alarm goes off. You kick the curtain open with your double-socked foot – SNOW IS FALLING. Quick! Run to your mom’s room, change whatever morning news show she’s watching to the local channel, and wait for those rolling school names at the bottom of the screen to reach yours…BOOM. Two-hour delay. Time to crawl back into bed!
These were always always always better than days off for me because actual snow days meant a day in the house doing chores and abiding my mother’s bidding. But two-hour delays meant that I could go back to sleep, and when I awoke, the whole house would be empty. Thus, I could pop in my favorite CD, turn it up REAL loud, shower, run around upstairs naked, and still see all my friends later and learn! So awesome.
#429 – When you’re at a party and that song starts playing and everyone stops what they’re doing to cheer and sing along.
The opening chords begin, and a roar goes up. Games and conversations stop; every person in the room gives focus now to the music. Air guitars are brought out, drummers emerge from the woodwork as people begin to tap out the beat on the table. And then the words begin:
“She’s just a small-town girrrrrl
Livin in a LONELY WORLD!
She took the midnight train goin anyyyyywheeeeere…”
If you are the magical DJ who chose this song, accept the praise and affirmation of the crowd as it soars into the second verse, then the refrain. They’re rockin’ and rollin’; in this moment, we are all rock stars. Live it and love it.
“Don’t Stop Believin” is only one of the crowd-pleasers. Other such songs include:
Bohemian Rhapsody, Hey Ya!, and anything by Lady Gaga (at least among my friends)
Group rock-out sessions? The jury is in, and the verdict is:
AWESOME!
#439 – Treehouses / backyard forts
My dad built us a tree fort; I use the term “fort” lightly. That thing was a cabin in the sky. It had insulation, a deck, and plexiglass windows. Our next door neighbors were moving out just as the fort was finished, so we did plenty of Dumpster diving to rescue couches, tables, and scraps of carpet to decorate our high-above-ground home.
I used to escape there for hours at a time with my book, or a few friends, or just to get away from my family for awhile.
AWESOME!
#445 – Leaf-tornadoes in fall
The crisped leaves of autumn skitter across the ground, as if the wind is herding them into the nooks and corners of nearby buildings. Occasionally, breezes blow just the right way to twirl tornadoes in your path as you’re out strolling. It’s like a little sign from Nature, acknowledging you as a temporary Autumn Deity. It’s beautiful, and
AWESOME!
How about that moment where the leaves change color and it seems like it just happened overnight. I love that. You go to bed one day and things are still pretty much green. And suddenly, by the next afternoon, you’re driving home from work or something and realize you’re surrounded by gold and red. It’s amazing.
#452 – Late-night swimming
Jump the fence, slip in the pool, and enjoy your strangely-timed swim. This is the most fun during summer, but late fall works just as well.
AWESOME!
#460 – The contagion of yawns
I bet just reading the word “yawn,” or thinking about how widely your mouth stretches as the muscles in your jaw crack and grow, opening the back of your throat to let that beautiful, deep breath in…you’re yawning right now, aren’t you?
And watching someone else yawn sparks that need somewhere in your own mind. Watch it spread, people; it’s the most relaxing disease of all!
(I yawned twice while writing this, and I feel a third one coming on. :) )
AWESOME!
#463 – the game Telephone (not to be confused with #957 – the telephone)
Start the message at one end of the line, and watch it garble its way down to the other end:
“Monkey free to run Havana hit Night?? No, I said ‘I really want a banana split tonight!’”
Hilarious, and
AWESOME!
# 515 Ridiculous old email or AIM names
Although I have long since forgotten the password, my old AIM moniker was “SongBird763.”
AWESOME!
# 516 – In old movies, when they twiddle the steering wheel while driving
No one drives like that! You’d be swerving down the road!
Also, for the amount of time they spend looking at each other while they talk, you’d think they would get into a wreck halfway through the scene.
AWESOME!
Neil, thank you so so so much for doing this contest. :) It was such a pleasure to be able to share what I consider to be website-worthy awesome things, and to read what things other people consider wonderful.
The ability and opportunity to share = awesome.
Thanks, Neil!!
Your first whistle ever! AWESOME!
Darn, I’ve been thinkng I would soon post this!
Along with when you first learn to snap your fingers, clap, skip; hop, hop on one leg; walk, run!!!
Also, when you draw your first heart, star, house, stick person AND earth, (a circle)…are all pretty awesome moments too!
Let me be kind and rewind…that truly is awesome Sol.
I had terrible asthma as a child so thought I may not achieve; when I did, I recal this being a very happy, moment!!! Thank you for mentioning this=)
little kids with glasses! extra points for the little safety strap to keep them on.
When you get to help out a sick friend. Maybe you’re picking up something for them at the store – or taking their dog out – whatever it is someone thinks you’re reliable enough to ask for help – AWESOME
Seeing people’s reactions to the awesome gift you bought them. Maybe it’s something you made or an inside joke, it’s always nice to see the look on a persons face when they love your gift.
Songs that, no matter when or where you hear them, make you want to dance.
It doesn’t matter who you are, what you are, or where you are. Once that one song gets playing, your hips get shakin’ and your fingers start snapping and your head starts bobbing.
You’re in your own world now, getting your groove on like there’s not a small crowd of people watching you do the electric slide in the bakery; like there isn’t a group of friends watch you do the monkey in the middle of the dance floor; like your spouse isn’t watching you the sprinkler in the kitchen. It’s all you, just gyrating your hips, shaking your butt, flailing your arms.
Shake what your momma gave you.
AWESOME!
When a large number of people do something in unison
Examples: Everyone singing along and waving cell phones or iPods in the air at a concert.
Everyone in the cafeteria immediately standing up when the bell rings, and the accompanying *scccreeechh* of hundreds of chairs being pushed back.
Once my English teacher said that we had 40 minutes to do a writing assignment, and immediately all of us turned our heads to look at the clock. She was like, “You couldn’t have done that better if we were shooting a movie and I told you all to turn at once!”
It’s weird and a little creepy when a bunch of people simultaneously get the impulse to do one specific action, but to watch the effect is pretty
AWESOME!
How about “the wave” at a sports stadium.
Sidewalk chalk :]
your birthday. presents, sweet treats, and a day when its ok for it to be focused all around you
Finding random smiley faces in everyday objects.