We got off of the Vashon ferry and rode our bikes as far up the steep hill as possible. It is straight up to the commuter parking lot. There are stairs for the walkers; about six flights. Tj made it up the hill. I made it halfway and turned to see where Skylar was. He was on the stairs, 2 flights up, with his heavy mountain bike on his shoulder.
“Dude! What are you doing???”
He laughed, “Being awesome.”
***end scene***
We were in our old Suburban at a stop sign. Tj turned the corner and decided to peel-out.
~Squeeeeeeel!~
“Dude! What are you doing???”
His reply? “Being awesome. “ I could do nothing but laugh.
***end scene***
See??? Just like that, they made life more awesome.
Somewhere over the sleepless years of having small children, I became less awesome. WAY Less fun and WAY less playful. Oh, the irony! When they are young and want to play the most is when I’m feeling the least playful. I’ve ALWAYS been envious of fun, spontaneous and playful people. I’ve always wanted to be more fun and to do more fun things. I have a deep yearning to play. I want to be AWESOME!
The other day I saw this article pass by in my Twitter feed, http://johnnybtruant.com/the-universe-doesnt-give-a-flying-fuck-about-you. I haven’t read anything from Johnny B. Truant in awhile but I always know that when I do choose to open an article, I’m probably going to enjoy it. Sure enough, it was awesome. I like him. He writes well. He swears a lot. And although a little verbose, he speaks my language. If I were single and placed a personal ad it might look something like this:
SWF. seeking blunt conversation, crude language, and a swift kick in the ass, anytime. Not interested in mental masturbation, and leave the coddling for your grandmother.
As you can see, I’m a real catch. *wink*
Even at my age (21, obviously!), I find that I’m overcoming inhibitions quite regularly. My latest one, is my lack of spontaneity. The one that keeps me from doing “epic shit” and the one that keeps me from being awesome. The one that has kept me from being myself in every situation.
What does awesome look like?
For me, it’s being inspired by someone else awesome and staging low quality cell phone photos in my kitchen with TJ while the kids look on in wonder and ask, “What are you doing???” And I reply:
“Being awesome.”
I call this one: "TJ! Get me sssssome eggssss!"
I would so love to have some decent lenses so I can stage more fun photos! Sadly, you don’t get to see the staged bicycle crash photo with me up in the tree since the flash didn’t work. (for those curious… no, I wasn’t really drinking a bottle of Triple Sec and beating up baking powder on the floor. And yes, if I was that would be pretty awesome too.)
I think when you’re being awesome, you just know it. You know you’re awesome because you’re kids are saying, “My mom is awesome!” or they are uncontrollably giggling at you while you climb the tree in the dark in your pajamas. Yeah, it was the best night ever, and we didn’t even leave the house.
It was also the beginning of AwesomeQuest 2011! Where I invite all my awesome friends to become even more awesome with me. Where we remember to be playful and create fun wherever we are. Not JUST because I want to be more awesome than I already am, but because I want to have more fun in my life with my already awesome family. BTW, AwesomeQuest 2011 needs a cool graphic and I’m accepting submissions!
But Heather, how do I know if I’m being awesome or not?
Well for starters you’ll probably notice that you’re enjoying life a lot more. Side can effects include: side cramps from giggling, laugh lines on your face and chapped lips from smiling too much. Don’t worry, this time the side effects are totally worth it!
Awesome, like unschooling, looks different in every family. Don’t compare your awesome to another person’s awesome. And don’t expect to be awesome all at once. Just remember:
Photo Credit: Jeff Sabo
Now, go be fucking awesome.
