Feb 05 2009
The Anti-Aging Miracle that can Save the World!
This week, it snowed.
- London’s public transport system collapsed.
- 6000 schools around the country closed.
- Businesses lost millions through lost trade and employee absence.
Deep snow. Depressing snow. Dangerous snow.
The worst snow for two decades. It cast fear, misery, and danger over the entire nation.
The entire nation? Really…?
Ania and me on Monday - beaming like kids at the wonder and joy of snow.
Nestling in that tree is a miniature snowman named Poppolek which Ania and I built (secreted there so only the most deserving of eyes would spot him).
Here’s the inevitable snowball fight that developed after Ania’s sneak attack.
And here’s Ania regretting that sneak attack!
Yep, Ania and I had a wonderful day while tens of millions of our countrymen cursed it.
But in years to come, how many of Britain’s 60,000,000 inhabitants will remember Monday 2nd February 2009?
How many? A very, very, VERY tiny percentage.
Why? Because most cursed the snow, blind to the wonders it presented.
I know many will cry, “That’s all very well for you, Steve, but I’ve a proper job. I can’t just bugger off to play in the snow like a big kid!”
The authorities and motoring organizations advised people not to travel as it was too dangerous. Barring a life or death situation, there was no reason why most people couldn’t take a day off. Or do you really believe one day’s lost pay IS a matter of life or death?!
As for those who took that advise, how many did anything worthwhile and didn’t simply sit inside, bored by daytime TV, complaining about the ‘bloody weather’?
Barring a death, birth or some such major event, 60 million Britons will forget Monday 2nd February 2009, despite its deep snow, depressing snow, dangerous snow. As long as they live, most will never ever think of the day again.
Ania and I, however, will remember it till the day we die. Literally.
Of course we’ve both built snowmen before. We’ve both had snowball fights before. We’ve both marveled at the wonder of snow before.
But neither of us had ever built a snowman and put him in a tree before.
Though he himself will melt, Poppolek will live forever through the fun, magic and wonder that Ania and I shared.
Now, imagine if every day had a Poppolek. Imagine if something special made every day live forever. Wouldn’t that make a life worth living?
I have friends who holiday by sitting on a beach for two weeks, then come home and complain their holiday just flew by.
A two week holiday for Ania and me is overflowing with so many adventures it feels like a month. And a month’s holiday… well, that just feels like the entire summer.
Why? Because we get off our butts and see stuff, do stuff, discover stuff. We’ve -
- marveled at the stunning art in the Guggenheim in Venice
- horse-ridden around the magnificent Monument Valley in America
- strolled the awe-inspiring Great Wall of China
We seek out new experiences and wring every last drop of wonder from them.
Of course if you did those things every day, even they would get boring. The keyword is ‘new’.
Depending on their generation, everyone remembers where they were the day Kennedy was shot or the Twin Towers fell. Why? Because they were such unique events.
The secret is filling our own lives with unique events. ‘New’ events.
Here’s a quick quiz for you:
- Who was the first person you ever kissed?
- What was your first pet?
- What was your first job?
I bet you didn’t hesitate for a second, did you?
Try these.
- Who was the eighth person you kissed?
- What was your fifth pet?
- What was your fourth job?
Hesitated, didn’t you!?
Our memories work in a very strange way. The first time we experience something relatively significant our minds catalogue it with a gold star next to it, so signifying to us at a later date that the event was special in that it was a ‘new’ event.
Sadly, it’s one gold star per event, so once that first event and gold star has been awarded, all similar events are catalogued without a star. When we trawl our memories, the events marked with a gold star scream for attention while those without blur into the background.
That’s why a month can fly by and you can feel as if you’ve done nothing but get up, go to work, come home, go to bed. You’ve done nothing deserving of a gold star, so all the days blur. You get enough such time periods without gold stars and, before you know it, you’re another year older and wondering where all the time went as you’ve ‘done nothing’ despite being active all year.
You see, when we’re children, there are so many significant ‘first times’ which is why we have such happy memories of childhood - all the wonders we experienced for the first time.
See how many gold star memories conjure a smile - I bet you could tell so many stories that begin ‘There was this one time…’:
- a school field trip
- a kiss, a date
- a best friend
- a holiday
- playing hooky
- a theme park
- a party
- falling off your bike
- a special Christmas
- Grandparents visiting
- a favourite toy
- a collection…
Sadly, as we journey through life, those ‘firsts’ become fewer and fewer because we’ve simply experienced the most common ones.
Once we hit our thirties, most people have done most things -
- had sex
- bought a house
- got a job
- found a partner
- had a kid
- suffered a death
- owned a car…
And that’s when time starts to feel like it’s flying by, as if each year is getting shorter. With fewer and fewer gold stars, all the weeks, the months, even the years start to blur into one. You start to feel old, to question what it’s all about, to wonder where you’re going… Is there any worse feeling than believing you’re living a grey life of work, monotony, and more work!?
So make it worth living.
How?
By seeking out gold star moments. It’s really not that difficult. It’s not like you need to change your life, or spend obscene amounts of money, or achieve something remarkable. Don’t believe me?
Remember Poppolek? How much did he cost?
And mine and Ania’s snowball fight? Nothing remarkable, except it wasn’t in a park, or a wood; it wasn’t late at night after a few beers; it wasn’t with friends in high-spirits… No, it was in the afternoon, in a posh neighbourhood, as we were walking home.
People passing us in cars smiled. And who wouldn’t? Two forty-somethings laughing and playing like kids in the snow? It’s such an unusual sight who wouldn’t laugh… and wish they could revert to their childhood and join in?
And that’s the answer.
- Remember all those ‘There was this one time…’ stories?
- Remember the warm glow they give you?
- Remember how you felt as a kid experiencing those things?
- Remember all that joy, all that wonder, all that ‘Wow!’?
If you can see the world in such a way again, you can start collecting gold stars again. And the more stars you collect, the more time will ‘slow down’ because your weeks, months and years will be so crammed with wondrous events you’ll wonder how you packed them all in.
It’s like almost stopping time. The years won’t fly by with nothing achieved, but crawl by, packed with experiences to treasure.
And it’s this sense wonder that will save the world.
- If we can see a woodland as a place to explore and picnic with a loved one, instead of a resource to exploit for profit, we’ll change the world.
- If we can see a tiger, a whale, an ant, and be awed by magnificence, by size, by strength, instead of complacency in their expendability, we’ll change the world.
- If we can see a wilderness as an opportunity to embrace adventure, instead of an opportunity to drill for oil, we’ll change the world.
If we can re-awaken the child within ourselves and once again feel the wonder that we lose to the rat race and convention, we’ll not only save the planet, we’ll save ourselves.
So go. See. Feel. Live.
Steve
If you like my blog, you’ll absolutely love ‘What if…?’, a roller-coaster thriller blending political intrigue and high-octane action with a thought-provoking exploration of poverty and environmental crises.
When a mysterious stranger fights to end world poverty, his seeming ability to heal with just a touch catapults him to fame but thrusts him into a deadly struggle with corporate America and the White House that like the world just the way it is: under their control - poverty, disease, wars and all.
But can the stranger heal? Or is he the biggest villain of all, perpetrating the most elaborate scam of all time?
Is it any good?
‘An engaging and exciting thriller with a difference. It would hold its own with many of the books in the bestseller lists - and then some.’
Scott Pack, Book Reviewer, Me and My Big Mouth‘”What if…?” is virtually flawless - Lee’s vision is precise, poetic, and skillfully crafted. It’s great writing with a great story, very well told.’
Nicholas Grabowsky, Bestselling Novelist
Please click here for more reviews and info.
Or check out Amazon.com
Related posts:
- Beautiful Animals
- The Most Inspirational Video You’ll Ever See?
- Top 10 Reasons Why Bestiality is Beautiful!
- Saving Sarah: the Joy of Saving a Life
What do you think? Have your say - leave a comment!
 |
 |