I cannot remember when I first heard about The Book of Awesome, written by Neil Pasricha, but I am grateful that I discovered it. As referenced in one of Neil’s Ted Talks and on his blog, 2008-2009 were exceptionally difficult years for Neil Pasricha, including a difficult time in his marriage and then when one of his friends took his own life. He turned to his computer, and created a website, http://1000awesomethings.com/, to help him deal with his pain. He began posting a daily blog post about universal things to celebrate, as he calls, one awesome thing a day, and it became incredibly popular.
Today, for my slice, I emulated a One Awesome Thing entry, based on how one of my dogs, Hondo, greets me each day.
Wordless Greetings
Sure, maybe he barks at all moving objects when you take him for a walk, he’s constantly stealing everyone’s shoes, he’s often caked in mud from backyard adventures, but how good does it feel when you walk into the house and see his white tail furiously wagging and long pink tongue hanging out like you are the most important person in the universe?
AWESOME!
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| This is the best photo I could get of him being still. Just imagine his tail wagging and his tongue waiting to give wet, slobbery dog kisses . |
Dog-love is certainly up there in the list of awesome! Thanks for sharing him with us today; his personality shines through, even in the "still" photo.
ReplyDeleteHe certainly has lots of personality, even though it isn't always shiny! Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteI've never heard of The Book of Awesome, but I'm definitely checking it out. I always try to tell myself and my kids to just pick one positive thing, one good that happened throughout the day and it makes it all worth it. My positive thing almost every day is getting to come to my dog greeting me exactly the way you just described, usually holding a bone or toy to share with me. This was a great read, and lots of descriptive language!
ReplyDeleteRemember that you can also use posts from his website so you don't have to buy the book. I think that we need to emphasize positive things! Thank you for your nice notes about my post!
DeleteYour Hondo is so cute! Our dogs go to the groomer once a month, which was Tuesday. By Tuesday evening, Puck had a black face on his white body. So much for the beautification project.
ReplyDeleteI started blogging during a really tough time at work. I needed an outlet and made it my goal to post positive things about teaching and students; our administration at the time made that difficult, but blogging worked magic for me. That was in 2010. Now I don't know that I want to continue w/ the blog. My reasons for starting it no longer exist.
Trina, I have to tell you how inspiring your posts are, and I love the unique approaches you take and the way you find inspiration through your reading and through other online platforms. Although I found you through volunteering for the Welcome Wagon, when the SOLSC is over, I'll be reading your posts.
Glenda, this was the BEST comment to read. Thank you! I cannot tell you how insecure I am about my writing/ideas. So far, this challenge has helped me push that publish button with a little less fear though and has made my writing more purposeful.
DeleteI love reading your blog, too. I hope that you don't stop. I subscribed to your posts and will continue reading yours as well!
Hondo is gorgeous--and also looks like he's about to bounce right out of this photograph. I love how dogs live so fully and passionately in the moment. My old girl is deaf and her legs barely work anymore, but she still leaps joyously off the couch when she finally realizes I'm home and wiggles and wags and smiles. I've never heard of The Book of Awesome either, but this looks like a great mentor text for notebook work.
ReplyDeleteThanks Elisabeth! That was a calm moment for Hondo. He isn't quite a year old and we are waiting (and waiting and waiting) for him to settle down! I have a thing for dogs, especially old dogs.
DeleteI think that I love the story behind the Book of Awesome just as much as the posts. There's something so amazing about turning pain into something that helps so many people.
I like the wordless greeting - so fun to see that smiling face and wagging tail.
ReplyDeleteThanks Joanne. It is one of my favorite things every single day.
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