AWESOME

I’m reading The Book of Awesome by Neil Pastricha these days, a compilation of little moments that make a big difference in our busy lives….things like bakery air, popping bubble wrap, and getting the milk-to-cereal ratio just right. It’s a fun read and makes one stop and be grateful for the little awesomes that happen every day in life.

Here are some of mine.


MIXING PEANUT BUTTER WITH MAPLE SYRUP

Need I say more…awesome!


THE TV GUIDE

Channel 5 on our TV is the television listings channel. Seldom if ever do I check the newspaper or internet for the viewing schedule. But, so often when I do consult the TV channel guide, it’s up at channel 41 or 72 or 121. That’s no use to me at all. I don’t get channels 27 to infinity.

Despite our adult children’s protestations and derision, Terry and I still have the medieval times cable package…channels 1 to 26. In fact, upon checking with Rogers, we discovered our package no longer exists. Perhaps we’re the only ones in Canada without CNN, Sportsnet or the Food channel. But really, who needs specialty channels anyways, especially ones devoted to home renos, bizarre weddings or game shows? And do I really need channel 129 to watch a session of the Ontario Legislature?

I’m happy with my paltry 26 channels and I savour those rare occasions when I consult the channel guide and good old channel 1 appears at the top of the screen …awesome!


SOCCER BRONZE

Celebrating Canada’s first ever Olympic medal in soccer…great. Watching an athlete like Christine Sinclair play the beautiful game and carry our flag at the closing ceremonies….awesome!


IKEA BUSTING

I hate shopping lines.

The worst ones are at IKEA where it seems no matter what day of the week or time of day, there seems to always be an endless queue of blond haired people waiting patiently to buy their furniture Lego sets.

My most recent visit to IKEA was the fruit of my ingenious attempt to beat the system. Realizing that the top priority was to pick the best possible time to avoid the crowds, I carefully checked the Summer Olympics schedule and found that on July 31, Sweden was playing Canada in women’s soccer. Perfect! The fact that the time of the game coincided with the one dollar IKEA breakfast service was a real bonus. I calculated that this convergence of events could potentially tie up about 80% of potential IKEA customers that morning. On top of that, I hoped that the oppressive July heat would keep away the remaining 20% of people who don’t enjoy IKEA scrambled eggs and sausage links any more than they like soccer.

In any case, my strategy worked to perfection. Terry and I breezed through the store that morning, made our purchases without having to line up and topped off our Swedish adventure with 50 cent IKEA ice cream cones…awesome!


THE COMEBACK

Recovering from an illness is always good news. When you’re 92, bouncing back after being out of action for over a month….awesome Mom!