The Book of Even More Awesome (27 page)

I guess I'm addicted to letting thoughts of crunchy leaves,
shopping cart rides
, and pizza slice tips swirl in my head and lift my brain sky-high. I love talking with all of you and reminding ourselves of the many awesome things we all have to share.

For us, we just happened to be
two different people
walking two different paths. Sure, it was painful as painful can be,
but we need to grieve
, we need to let emotions overcome us, and we need to choose to walk toward those bright lights in the distance. Even if those lights seem pretty far away.

So, come on: When bad news squeezes your lungs and the weight of the world
pushes you under
, let's always try to catch our breath by focusing on the best things in life. Yes, let's focus on the sound of steaks hitting a hot grill,
taking the price tag off in one quick move
, and good turnouts on your birthday. Let's focus on beautiful pick-me-ups like getting the airport pickup, laughing with friends till you cry, or holding the keys to your first apartment. Let's focus on all the magic moments, eye-twinkling memories, and small special touches that make every day so sweet and make every day worth living.

Yes, life's too short to swim in the deep forever, so
when it hurts
remember to focus on the end of that tunnel and let those lights guide you forward and forward and forward and forward and forward and forward and forward.

AWESOME!

And away we go!

To
oxygen
, thanks for being breathable. To
trees
, thanks for making oxygen. To
Earth
, thanks for making trees. To
the universe
, thanks for making Earth. To
The Big Bang
, thanks for making the universe. I love you, The Big Bang.

To
Sam Javanrouh
, thank you for taking such stunningly beautiful photos for this book. For those as addicted to Sam's photos as I am, check out his site at
www.dailydoseofimagery.com
.

To
Frank Warren of PostSecret
, thanks for your guidance, support, and friendship. And thanks for being you. You're the only you I've got.

To the one and only
Chad Upton
, this book wouldn't have happened without you. Almost nothing in the world is as rock solid as your endless friendship and I can't thank you enough for the support, ideas, and strength.

To the
'92/93 World Series champion Toronto Blue Jays
, thanks for showing a little kid with thick glasses, wide eyes, and a messy haircut that dreams really can come true.

To
Shiv
,
Dawn
,
Julie
,
Nick
, and
Rita
, thanks for dim nights, late nights, and lots of brainstorming.

To
dark chocolate
,
Granny Smith apples
, and
guacamole
, thank you for being tasty and delicious. Same goes for you,
poutine
. I admit I dream about your gooey cheese curds, dark steamy gravy, and hot, slippery fries a little too much.

To the
readers of 1000 Awesome Things,
thank you for your passion and soul. Special shout-outs to
Laura Johnson
,
Bekah Martin
,
Jennifer Durley
, and
Fred Thate
for their bear-sized hearts and neverending love.

To
Agostino
and
Natalie Mazzarelli
, thank you for having beautiful babies which are fun to finally get the perfect picture of.

To
sentences ending in of
, I think you get a bad rap. Frankly, you do a fine job, if you ask me. Nope, nothing wrong with a good sentence ending in of.

To
Kevin Groh
, your creative ideas have helped spread awesome everywhere. This is your fault. Remember that.

To
Mike Jones
, you've been inspiring me since Dog Guy. There's so much of you in this book. Never change.

To
Erik Lundgren
, thank you for your bright lightbulb ideas.

To
Heather Reisman
,
Joel Silver
, and the gang at
Indigo
, thank you sincerely for your endless support and always believing in awesome. It's been an absolute pleasure getting to know you all.

To
John Montagu, Earl of Sandwich
, thank you for inventing the sandwich.

To
David Lavin
,
Charles Yao
, and the folks at The Lavin Agency speaking bureau, thank you for sending me to meet awesome believers everywhere.

To
Collin and Abigail
, thank you for the “1000 Awesome Things” song. And to
Mr. David Thompson
(Monsieur Cabinet), thank you for the pretty pictures.

To
Matthew
,
Liz, Kate
,
Lydia, Amanda
,
Sharon
, and everyone at
AEB/Putnam
, thank you for your faith and support. It's been an absolute pleasure working with you all. H igh fives to
Ivan Held
,
Scott Loomer
, and the one-and-only
Beth Lockley
for their spirit, flair, and energy.

To my editor,
Amy Einhorn
, you're my favoritest favoritest. Your passion has guided this from the beginning and I'm forever grateful. And to
Halli Melnitsky
, you are kind, passionate, and strong. Keep pushing.

To
Erin Malone
, I can't thank you enough for your guidance, support, and putting-up-with-me-ness. You've changed my life and I'm forever grateful.

To
Gale Blank
,
Jim Thompson
, and
Duncan Mac Naughton
, thank you for your optimism and encouragement.

To
Gary Johnston
, thank you for listening.

To
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
, thanks for being my favorite movie when I was growing up. Don't worry,
Pee-wee's Big Adventure
, I love you too.

To
anyone who's ever given an inspiring commencement speech
, man, I love those. Thanks so much.

To
Dave Cheesewright
, you're the ultimate inspiration.

To
Vanessa Crandall
, thanks for making my english gooder. I wish you where around to proofread my Acknowledgments.

To
computers
, thanks for letting us all talk to each other. Please don't take over the Earth.

To
Chris Kim
, you've taught me that some friendships keep growing when they're gone. Your strength fires me up daily. I miss you and love you.

To
luck
, thank you so much. I was lucky to be born healthy in a great country, have parents who loved me, teachers who cared about me, and friends who supported me. If you're reading this, maybe you're lucky too. Maybe we're lucky together.

To
Leslie Richardson
, thank you more than you can know.

To
mom
,
dad
,
Nina
,
and Dee
, you gave me everything I've got and this is very much for you.

Finally, thank you to
you
. Thank you for reading this sentence. And this one. And this one. And thank you for the great chat about awesome things. I had so much fun and look forward to our next one. Now, let's go play outside. The sun is shining, the grass is twinkling, and there's still a couple hours before sunset . . .

Neil Pasricha gets stuck in traffic jams, eats entire tubs of ice cream in one sitting, and has terrible posture. He's just a regular guy who loves sneaking candy into movies, stomping crunchy leaves on sidewalks, and watching cream go into coffee.

Let's keep the awesome going! If you'd like your awesome thing to be considered for use on
www.1000awesomethings.com
, just write up something less than five hundred words and send it over. We'll pick some favorites and mail those selected a basket of awesome goodies for your troubles. Go to the website to see how to submit. Thanks for reading, thanks for sending your thoughts, and thanks for being

 

AWESOME!