Now Why Didn’t I Think Of That?

Every now and then, I come across a venture that’s wildly successful because of its simplicity.  These are the best kinds of finds because their enjoyment requires almost no effort or thinking on my part.  When you’re tired or feeling low, the last thing you want is to do some mental gymnastics to get to a better place.  

On the other hand, witnessing someone’s popularity by doing something simple can also induce a wee bit of jealousy.  It reminds me of the time I went to place called Fire It Up, where you can paint pre-made ceramic pieces and they fire it in the kiln for you.  I’d been walking around department stores, checking out their pitchers, coffee mugs and fish platters.  I’d turn to my husband and confidently say, “I could do that!” 

I could do that! (maybe)

 

Yeah, well, turns out making a really good platter is much harder than it looks.  I suspect the same is true for 1000 Awesome Things.  The concept is to highlight the things we too often take for granted.   Some of my favorites include the recent “picking up something that turns out to be a lot lighter than expected,” or even “finally peeing after holding it forever.”   These posts won’t solve big problems like bankruptcy or a miscarriage.   But if you’re crabby because you lost your car keys and subsequently missed an “important” meeting, this site is a good cure.  When the little things get you down, it’s only reasonable to ask them to prop you back up. 

I should warn you some of the posts creep towards sappy or the obvious (like “when a baby falls asleep on you”), but I’m willing to give it to him.  After all, I didn’t have to come up with 1000 awesome things, just one: “sharing someone else’s good idea.”  Seth Godin reminds us it’s not really jealousy we’re feeling anyway, but fear we won’t measure up.  And if Neil’s 1000 Awesome Things site teaches us anything, it’s that there’s plenty of goodness to go around.  

Photo courtesy of ccarlstead on Flickr 

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