For those who have followed the 1,000 Awesome Things blog, you know it counted down to its final awesome thing last week. From June 2008 to April 2012, each day Neil Pasricha added one awesome thing to his blog.
What was great, and still is, about 1,000 Awesome Things is that all of the experiences and awesome things are relatable. The blog details 1,000 things that really are awesome, even if we haven't consciously stopped to consider how great they are.
Just because the countdown is over, doesn't mean there aren't more awesome things out there.
The blog reminded us about times in our past and would often bring back memories we didn't know we still had.
One of his best entries, and certainly one that brought back the most nostalgia for me, was one of his earliest.
No. 980 on the blog is old, dangerous playground equipment. I remember at my elementary school until I was in about Grade 4, there were two platforms as part of the larger playground equipment. The platforms were accessible by ramps, and sat about seven or eight feet off the ground.
You could grab a makeshift zip line and Indiana Jones your way above everyone else all the way over to the other platform. There were two of them and you could race one another.
Of course, as your feet were dangling down, the other kids were running around below, and they might try to grab your feet and pull you down. It was dangerous, and the most fun piece of equipment there.
That was an entry that brought back great memories of not even thinking about any sort of danger and just climbing around all over the place. That's what was so great about the old equipment.
Here is my list of five (I dropped the first 995 for space reasons) awesome things I have found in Estevan, or Saskatchewan, in my time here so far:
5. Provincial highway speed limits of 100 kilometres per hour. It's a joy after dealing with frustratingly out-of-date 80 kilometre speed limits your whole life. Trust me, it's awesome.
4. Going out for a Sunday drive and not hitting a single pothole. Around here that is an awesome achievement.
3. An unwavering devotion to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. As someone who has grown up an Argos fan, it's awesome to see supporters who know exactly what happened in the last game. Ask an Argos fan about the last game, and they will say something about wishing Pinball was back and that they don't care what happens until he is.
2. Estevan is maybe the most generous community I've lived in, and that's awesome. Considering its size, this city has no problem drumming up support for the many fundraisers that support youth sports and not-for-profit organizations.
1. The weather here is awesome. Not the cold, obviously, but the sun. It's the sunniest place in Canada for a reason. After two overcast days I have heard people complain about it being so dreary lately. If that's all there is to complain about when it comes to weather, it's awesome.
What do you find awesome?
