2. Grand openings

Most people hate spending more than two minutes in line at the grocery store, even with the cover of National Enquirer alerting you to the birth of a vampire-bat-man, for your reading pleasure.

But, most people will sacrifice hours upon hours of time and buckets of endorphins at a grand opening.

Whether it's the new Harry Potter movie or a shot to purchase the new Apple iPad, crowds will form and people are more than willing to standing THAT CLOSE to random people for the next few hours.

Why is that?

Is it the rush of excitement,

the anticipation that built up over the course of waiting for whatever-it-is to open or come out,

the joy of seeing something brand new,

the reunion to that which you love,

or something else entirely?

I once stood in the hot, June sun for four hours to ride the new Star Tours ride at Disneyland. At the end of waiting, I felt like I really knew the people I stood behind for hours. Like we should exchange numbers or something.

But I did it, and would do it all over again, because the excitement and anticipation of experiencing this new, amazing thing felt so wonderful. Ah, this is what life is all about.

How spectacular it is that we have these things to look forward to, to brighten our lives, to give us that titilating glee over something so simple.

What have you waited for? What was worth hours in line to experience? Why on earth do you wait for a grand opening?



image above from www.celebrationcinema.com

1 of 100 Amazing Things

This is the first post of 100 which will feature blips about 100 amazing things in life. Little moments, tiny sparks, and passing flights of pleasure in ordinary life. Things we might not see, see but not appreciate, appreciate but forget to share.

1. A forgotten blast from the past


You go on about your life, day in and day out. Nothing exists but the present, the ever-moving pull toward the unknown future. Bits and pieces of childhood memory cloak themselves in the dark recesses of your mind, forgotten and buried.

Then.

Something sparks your memory. You might see an old commercial or hear a song or stumble upon some clip from Youtube, and bam! A little light in some forgotten  memory bank blinks off.

That feeling where your present self reunites with some faded memory is magical. I can't describe it any other way.

Yesterday I found an unopened Chutes and Ladders game from 1979. Playing it with my son, I reeled back in time to a seven-year-old version of me who played that game with delight. I suddenly remembered the little video that accompanied the game and searched YouTube to find it.

This cartoon probably means nothing to you, but seeing it again was like opening this tiny, drawer in the dusty corner of my brain and extracting a beloved artifact.

The first time I found YouTube with a friend, we searched old cartoons and 80s commercials with a flurry. So many cartoons, clips, songs, and ordinary commercials just propelled  me back to my childhood. Like yesterday's find, I still happen upon some items (toys, cartoons, and such) that jolt me back to some of the most pleasant memories I have.

Now, after having spent many random nights up late searching YouTube and plucking old VHS tapes from thrift stores, I feel like there's nothing left for me to rediscover.

But then it happens.

I found an old Manx Mouse video at a thrift store, only it was the wrong video inside. That's still out there.

I know I've found the MAJOR ones, but the little ones are still out there. I might run into an old doll I used to own, or I might find a forgotten book or rare cartoon (like that time I found The Dragon That Wasn't (or Was He?) ). When those moments happen, it's pure bliss.

What have you found or rediscovered?

What is still out there (a random toy? I had a superhero banana-man that I've never tracked down) for you to find? What does it feel like to find it?