It haunts you on every turn.

The muted thump of that half-filled water bottle, grass-stained golf ball, or pair of skates clanging against the side of your trunk. And you think it’s annoying, and you think you’ll get rid of it, but when you arrive at your destination it’s suddenly about getting out, getting in, and getting it tomorrow.

That’s what makes it great when the glorious day finally comes.

When you clean out the trunk and it sounds like

AWESOME!

–

I interviewed David Sedaris, Judy Blume, and Malcolm Gladwell on my award-winning podcast 3 Books. Check it out here.

Photo from: here

Thank you for being a friend.

When you’re crashing into the couch in the cold basement and flicking on the TV screen there’s nothing as nice as being surrounded by your favorite pals in familiar places. And while we’ve chatted before about finding gold there’s also something great about  bumping into the Christmas special in the completely wrong time of the year.

Whether Kevin’s got to find a Christmas gift for Winnie, George battles his Festivus demons, or the Tanner family gets stranded at the airport on Christmas eve, well… it’s a surprise dose of Christmas spirit sprinkled into the middle of your year.

Those Christmas specials usually feature the full cast of characters, surprise music interludes, and huggy closing scenes that zoom out to snowflakes falling past frosty windows and flickering red lights strung across rooftops. Christmas episodes remind us where we were when we first saw them and give us surprise doses of holiday family values right when we least expect it.

Christmas episode, your heart is true.

You’re a pal and a confidant.

AWESOME!

Have you ever ruled a planet?

Me, no. But I’ve wanted to! Wouldn’t it be fun? We could all have our own. We’d be like celebrities buying up tiny islands in the middle of the ocean. Only with planets in the middle of the universe. Perhaps if Science actually got off its ass and invented some decent space and time travel our dreams could become a reality. Then having your own planet will be like the Tamagotchi of the 22nd century.

See, it doesn’t happen that often but whenever I fly over mountains in an airplane I sort of feel like the Ruler of Earth. Zooming through clear blue skies I stare down at rocky vistas and snow-capped peaks in dazed wonder. Frost freckles on the window and steamy clouds blur my view, but nothing keeps me from staring and staring and staring and staring into the icy abyss below.

It’s trippy to let your brain slip back into neverending question mode: How long have the mountains been there? How did they get there? How many places like this are there? And how long would I survive down there before being eaten by that Abominable Snowman from the Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer Christmas special?

Just kidding about that last one.

He was friendly, remember?

Yes, flying over mountains reminds us all how tiny and fragile our lives really are. Because you’re dead soon, buddy! And brother, so am I. But when we’re flying way up high through that great big blue-black sky it’s like our dreams and our dreaming just survive and survive and survive.

AWESOME!

Psst.

Did you know I’m writing 1000 NEW awesome things during the pandemic?

Check them out on Instagram.

Photos from: my cell phone, here, and here

When your groggy groans are met with head nods and smiles it means only one thing.

You two are on the same wavelength.

AWESOME!

— Email message —

“For English, our Year 10 class wrote an essay on the topic ‘Write a letter to your parents explaining the important messages about life that you have gained from reading or viewing at least one text.’ So, naturally, I chose 1000 Awesome Things. The writing’s a little sketchy in parts but you should be able to read.” – Zosia from Australia

Photo from: here

Get out and start dripping.

Yes, it’s time to swish your bathing suit wedgie over to the beach chair by the water and lie down on the soaking wet plastic for a sun dry.

Who cares if your hair is a scraggly mat of chlorine knots? Who cares if your goosebumpy jello-thighs are dripping on the sidewalk? Who cares if the water washed your deodorant off?

Let me just say on behalf of the world.

Not us!

Just grab a drink, throw on some shades, and let those wavy rays dry you right up.

Towels are overrated.

The Sun is underrated.

AWESOME!

— Email message —

“In your TED talk you speak about never letting go of your inner 3 year old which is something I will never do. When I heard this part of you talk it reminded me of some fun I had two years ago when I needed cheering up. Basically when I was little, I loved bouncy balls and always dreamed of having a ton of them and I tried to imagine what it would be like to drop a whole lot of them at once. So when I was going through a bumpy part in my life I decided it would be fun to finally try it. To this day I like to keep one in my pocket at all times to remind me never to loose my child hood sense of wonder.” – Mike J. from New Jersey

Photos from: here and here

Why walk?

Tossing something from a distance saves you an annoying six-second commute around the kitchen counter or picnic table. Since we humans have evolved the ability to suddenly hear someone scream “Heads up!” before turning into a set of keys flying at our face, it’s good practice to keep the skills fresh. If you’re catching, just remember to start with the basics and move your way up the chain:

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Level 1: Apples and oranges. Fruit is a good place to start. If you drop an orange, no worries — it just rolls away, still juicy and delicious. And the apple dent is completely edible. Getting beaned in the forehead with a banana stem could leave a mark, but it’s a sign of of toughness. Next time you’re down at the roller skating rink with the guys just point at the bruise and nod.

Level 2: Keys. There’s a lot to hold onto so this is still the minor leagues of throwing and catching non-ball objects. Fingers stabbing through rings, jingly keys catching on wild fingers, no problem, no problem. Make sure you never underestimate the surprise aerodynamics from a mini-flashlight, garage door opener, or Koosh ball keychain, though. There’s no shame in using two hands.

Level 3: Phones and remotes. Phones and remote controls are the perfect size and weight for an across-the-room toss, but make sure you check what’s surrounding the waiting hands. Cushion-covered couches and shag carpet? Yes! Ceramic-tiled floors and sidewalks? Broken!

Level 4: Unopened cans of soda or bottles of beer. Pulling out that ice-cold can of soda from the bottom of the melted freezing water in the backyard cooler is a good start. Whipping it across the deck is a good finish. Yes, there is some Minor Explosion Risk, but when you’re in the big leagues you gotta toss Cokes and beer bottles or go home, sister. If you’re going to cry about it then go back to clementines.

Level 5: Eggs and water balloons. Company picnics, family reunions, and summer camps are the height of tossing non-ball objects to people. Remember to keep taking a step back and taking a step back until someone ends up a wet salmonelly mess.

Yes, tossing non-ball objects to people is such a great high. It’s a brief second of air-sailing fun in the middle of your living room or backyard deck. You may even score acrobatic catches such as The Beer-Over-The-Campfire Grab, Upstairs-To-Downstairs Drop, or Reverse-Angle Cat Snag.

The important thing is to keep on throwing.

The important thing is to keep on being

AWESOME!

The Book of (Even More) Awesome contains dozens of awesome things not on the blog. Read the first 20 pages here.

— Email message —

“When I was a kid I told my parents I wanted to be a scientist when I grew up. Flash forward a few years to where I’m an undergraduate student in psychology, and one of my courses is in a university research lab. Today, I was talking to one of the grad students and she mentioned that the way she describes her job to little kids is by telling them that she’s a scientist – since saying a “cognitive psychology researcher” would be too hard for them to understand. And that’s when it hit me I was on my way to becoming a “scientist” too. Knowing that your 6-year-old self would be proud of you for making your childhood dream come true is probably one of the most awesome feelings I’ve ever experienced!” – Tammy

Photos from: here, here, here, and here

There’s something adorable about tiny hands reaching up to grab your face or glasses with their baby strength.

Just watch out for the wolverine claws.

AWESOME!

–

I miss speaking live! Since the pandemic started all my speeches have shifted to virtual. Want to bring me in? Let me know. 

— Email message —

Photo from: here

I grew up in the burbs.

Streetlights and neon signs scattered red and yellow glows on empty streets and dark houses. Going out late at night with friends meant entering small worlds in bedrooms and basements away from the emptiness of the outside.

Whenever those hangouts finished the scene quickly cut to late night cruises through warm summer breezes till everyone got dropped off at their distant driveways three blocks away.

And if you were the last to get dropped off then it was on those driveways when you might have a great 3:00am conversation with your best friend. The pain of breaking curfew meant nothing compared to the incredible connections you’d get with a friend when there was nowhere else to go.

Deep thoughts, dark thoughts, head twists and turns, there’s so much to burn when the moon’s up, the sun’s down, and you’re hanging with someone you love. When the buzz of the day just fades far away it’s time to crackle and connect in a tiny picture-perfect moment of

AWESOME!

What books do I recommend to relax?

— Email message —

“We would like to share our Wall of Awesome that our students created in our library after being inspired by The Book of Awesome. We also thought it would help during exam time to focus on the positve things in our lives and reduce stress.” – Angela and Darcie, École Charleswood School, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Photo from: here and here

Your brain’s a drain.

Yup, according to our egghead pals over at Wikipedia, although our brains are only 2% of our body weight they use somewhere in the neighborhood of 25% of our body’s energy. Now that’s a lot, especially when you consider the energy-hogging hearts, lungs, and blood highways zig-zagging up and down our bony frames.

I heard a scientist give a speech once and he said can you believe it? Can you believe when humans first showed up we actually survived? After all, we had no camouflaged skin, no super hearing, and couldn’t fly. We couldn’t see in the dark, breathe underwater, or beat a monkey in a fistfight.

Basically, he said, we sucked.

Except for one little thing.

When we came around we had a three pound pile of flesh secretly stashed in our skulls. Our brains helped us develop tools, stone weapons, and hunting strategies. Our brains helped us socialize, fantasize, and dream. Essentially, we are our brains — and they’ve come to define everything we do. I’m using my brain to write this down you’re using yours to read it up.

I say nobody knows how far the thinking really goes. Sure, outer space goes way out forever but maybe inner space goes way in, too. Have you ever reached way back in your noggin’ and found a new conclusion, wild idea, or crazy thought? Back beyond your brain’s borders are big dreams twisting and turning … just waiting to let themselves out.

Your thinking place is where you go to nurture wild fires in your heart.

And maybe you dream in the shower, maybe you imagine in the car, maybe you wonder in the mirror, maybe you think in Myanmar. But wherever it is, wherever you go, wherever you sizzle, wherever you flow, well that thinking place is somewhere that helps you buzz and burn and become a little bit more

AWESOME!

— Email message —

“Here are images of the books my grade 7/8 and 8 class created this spring.  Their ideas ranged  from racing the microwave to mud puddles to the end of a good book to moving to another country to doodling to helping others to new pencils.  Their creativity, enthusiasm and dedication far exceed my expectations.  This assignment was an opportunity to express themselves in the truest form and have fun while doing it.” – Ally Greig

Photos from: here, here, and here

It happens out of nowhere.

The pace picks up, stories twist together, and suddenly the book is stuck in your hands. Your eyeballs grow wide and the clock keeps ticking as you go deeper and deeper into the dark hole that sends you straight to the last page.

You know you’ve hit that point if you’re almost skim-reading you’re so excited, if you’re clenching your bladder to avoid bathroom breaks, or you’re constantly flipping forwards to see how much is left before the end.

Here comes the big finish!

AWESOME!

How do you win your day every day? With Two-Minute Mornings

— Email message —

“While visiting a friend in London about a month ago, we stopped for a photo outside the Borough Market. When my son, who’s a student in NYC, saw the photo, he noticed his current college roommate, Tom, who is studying abroad in London for the semester, in the background. (navy blue shirt). We never saw Tom, but it’s awesome seeing someone you know in a photo from a faraway place.” – Amy

Photo from: here