New Thing 88, New Thing Every Day: Make a List of 100+ Things that Make Me Happy

Here is my list, made over the course of the day. I added things as they came to mind, with no thought to priority or anything else. Creating the list really was a fun exercise, and kept my spirits particularly high all day long.


1.              People
2.              Puppies
3.              Ice cream
4.              Indian food
5.              Family
6.              Travel
7.              People I have not seen in a long time
8.              People I see all the time, and really like
9.              Dessert
10.           Dinner
11.           Learning things
12.           Challenging myself
13.           Dreaming
14.           Setting big goals
15.           Accomplishing things
16.           A job well done
17.           A freshly mowed lawn
18.           Old pictures
19.           Funny pictures
20.           Movies
21.           Books
22.           Really good comic books
23.           Pie
24.           Cake
25.           Cookies
26.           Stories
27.           Campfires
28.           Road trips
29.           Vacation
30.           Great restaurants
31.           Celebrity chefs
32.           Saving money
33.           Achieving
34.           Winning
35.           Great theatrical performances
36.           Songs from my youth
37.           Found money
38.           Flowers
39.           Sports movies
40.           Giving gifts
41.           Getting gifts
42.           Birthdays
43.           Holidays
44.           Memories
45.           Getting good grades
46.           Successful events
47.           Landing
48.           Taking off
49.           Weddings
50.           Home cooking
51.           New York City
52.           Oscar Night
53.           Getting a real letter
54.           Making a new friend
55.           A cigar
56.           7&7
57.           Going on a date
58.           People who are smarter than I
59.           Being on a team
60.           Good grammar
61.           An outfit I like
62.           Clothes that fit me
63.           Spring
64.           The first snow
65.           Weight loss
66.           Exercise progress
67.           Figuring something out
68.           Having enough
69.           Mustang
70.           Candy
71.           Mt. Dew
72.           Technology
73.           Really getting to know someone
74.           Business
75.           Good debate
76.           Naps
77.           Paying in cash
78.           The Internet
79.           The prospect of time travel
80.           Discovering a new food
81.           Discovering a new author I really like
82.           Good schools
83.           Movie stars
84.           Surprises
85.           Sculpture
86.           Tasty wine
87.           Good beer
88.           Doing things people think I can't.
89.           Movie review shows.
90.           Podcasts.
91.           Facebook
92.           Business
93.           Marketing
94.           Chocolate
95.           Fast food
96.           Hamilton
97.           Massive green lawns
98.           Stand-up comedy
99.           A great speaker
100.        Talent
101.        Women

New Thing 87, New Thing Every Day: Try Pho

Pho -- a Vietnamese soup -- is something I have been hearing more and more about over the last few years and I have always meant to try it, and today was the day. Here in Columbia, we have a nice little Vietnamese restaurant, basically a diner, called Pho Quan Viet Cuisine, so I went there for lunch today.

I chose the combination Pho, which had chicken, meatballs, and beef. The meat is in a thin but flavorful broth, with rice noodles, scallions, and onions. On the side, they serve bean sprouts, cilantro, and fresh jalapenos, to be mixed into the soup. I doubt I will be craving it, but it really was good, and I highly recommend it.

New Thing 86, New Thing Every Day: Write a letter to an elementary or high school teacher who influenced me and thank them

I was fortunate to have a fairly large number of teachers who influenced me and helped me be a happier, hopefully better person. At the top of the list is Marvin Denison, primarily a teacher of history. I wrote him a letter tonight to tell him that.

Here are 10 things about my time with high school teacher Marvin Denison.

1. Mr. Denison taught history, a subject I hated until we met. In large part thanks to him, I later got a degree in American history and today I read lots of history books, for fun, each year.
2. Mr Denison treated me with respect, like an adult, even when I did not deserve it.
3. I was a kid who got in trouble a lot, and he was always cool about it, even when punishing me.
4. Later, Mr. Denison went from primarily being a teacher to being headmaster of my school.
5. He was officially the one who suspended me, for accumulation of demerits, after I told a teacher to f___ herself.
6. My senior year, our basketball team missed winning the state championships, largely because of bad calls and we felt sure we were cheated. I was editor of the school newspaper and Mr. Denison charged me with writing an article that properly captured the moment. I do not think I did a very good job.
7. Senior year, he taught an American history class that debunked many of the myths with which we all grow up. It was incredibly cool.
8. One of my best friends, Adam, and I got in an actual fight in that history class one day. It was kind of a big deal that freaked everyone out. At the same time, it put on painful display just exactly how embarrassing I was as a fighter.
9. As a result of the fight, Adam and I lost the privilege to drive or leave school for lunch. We also had to do a bunch of manual labor in the woods by the school; Adam got us out of that by getting horribly attacked by thousands of mosquitoes. Mr. Denison felt so sorry for Adam that he let us both off without further work punishment.
10. When I showed up to walk the graduation line in bright yellow high tops -- rules were stricter in 1988 -- it was Mr. Denison who overruled math teacher Linda Radford, who wanted to make me sit out graduation, and let me walk the line to get my diploma.

New Thing 85, New Thing Every Day: Write My Last Will and Testament

Do you have a will? You should; and I should have had one before now. I did not have one, though, at 46, so writing one made a good New Thing. I used LegalZoom, which was pretty easy and cost just $65.00. I may do something more complicated at some point but, for now, this is enough. I left everything to Leigh; if she is gone, everything will go to my sister, Marisa (don't get excited, Marisa, the odds of my preceding Leigh are pretty slim). I am feeling very adult.

New Thing 84, New Thing Every Day: Eat a Raw Diet for the Day

So, I probably should have done this for a week to really get a feel for it, but I ended up going with a day. A raw diet is exactly what you think it is -- nothing but raw food. There are health benefits to doing this, and I read up on them a bit, so it was a learning opportunity. In the end, I ate a lot of fruit, fruit juice, and a bag of raw cashews. Do I feel different? Did it accomplish anything? Probably not, but it was definitely one more New Thing.

New Thing 83, New Thing Every Day: Visit http://www.shitbrix.com/

Here is another easy New Thing, for when I have a busy day and just need to get it done. Along with the other websies I will visit, this came fro a list I found on the Web of weird sites. It is definitely that. One visit will probably be enough.

New Thing 82, New Thing Every Day: Use Hand Sanitizer

No, I had never used hand sanitizer before a few hours ago. Now I have. Yes, it was incredibly exciting.

New Thing 81, New Thing Every Day: Do a TEDx Talk

TED is an organization that hosts and sanctions incredible conferences where people give generally 8-12 minute speeches about important topics. If you do not know what a TEDx Talks are, here is a link -- https://www.ted.com/about/programs-initiatives/tedx-program

Here is a link to my talk --  https://youtu.be/RFR6vFIY0H4

Here are 10+ thoughts about the TEDx experience.

1. So flattering to be asked. The whole process really was very cool, from beginning to end.
2. This particular TEDx Talk was hosted by Battle High School in Mssouri.
3. About half the speakers were students, and they were awesome.
4. The other adults were pretty awesome, too.
5. Dayna Steele, a professional speaker, came in from Texas just to participate, and gave a great talk.
6. The whole TEDx process was kind of intense. I had to turn in a first draft months ago, and then a final draft several weeks later.  A big part of the reason for my participating was so I could get some experience with that kind of intense speaking program.
7. We could not use notes.
8. I had a PowerPoint presentation to accompany my talk, and used it as an outline to keep me on track. I relied on it a little too much and my talk would have been better if I would not have.
9. My talk was entitled, "Everyone Has a Wheelchair Or, Three Things My Wheelchair has Taught Me About Being Happy and Living an Awesome Life ".
10. The Columbia Public Schools culinary arts kids did such a great job with the food in the break room.
11. One unexpected benefit of participating was that we made friends with Dayna Steele. She is very fun.
12. A bunch of my local friends came to hear me give my speech. It really meant a lot to me.
13. In addition to my local friends, college friends Katie Meyers and Kelly Seymour came in from St. Louis and Kansas City to see the speech. That was kind of overwhelming in its awesomeness and meant a great deal to me.
14. Katie and Kelly also brought kids with them, which was cool (Katie brought Maddy and Kelly brought Caleb and Owen).

New Thing 80, New Thing Every Day:Have Dinner with Dayna Steele

Dayna Steele is a professional speaker, author, and bunch of other cool things that Leigh met through a friend; the two of them got Dayna involved with supporting Battle High School, which led to her agreeing to participate in the TEDx Talk I am doing at Battle tomorrow. So tonight Leigh, her friends, and I took Dayna to dinner at Barred Owl and just had a great time. Dayna is super cool and I am glad to be able to call her a friend now.

Check out her Wikipedia entry -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dayna_Steele

New Thing 79, New Thing Every Day: Visit www.attackofthecute.com

[Note: Not intentionally so much, but I took two days off fro New Thing Every Day. Just worked out that way. Probably will not let it happen again.]

I think attackofthecute.com was created specifically for my wife. Lots of very cute pictures and videos.

www.attackofthecute.com

New Thing 78, New Thing Every Day: Try Herbal Tea

I am not a big coffee drinker, so maybe it should not be shocking that I am not a big tea drinker, and I had not tasted herbal coffee until today. Starbucks was my first stop, but they did not have any (or maybe they did, but the kid at the counter said they did not). So I solicited help from Facebook and took Crystal Umfress's suggestion to go to The Grind because the suggestion cam quickly and I was close (thanks Crystal!).

Following Ginger West's suggestion to go with her namesake, I chose lemon & ginger herbal tea. Now that I have had it, I will say that it was fine, but I do not think I could really taste it. I was born without a sense of smell, which makes me miss most of the more subtle tastes. I am glad I had it, though. One more New Thing!

New Thing 77, New Thing Every Day: Play a Modern Video Game

Like most red-blooded American boys growing up in the 70s and 80s, I played lots and lots of video games. This continued into my college years, and mostly stopped after that. With the occasional exception for Ms. Pacman or Galaga, I have not played video games for over 20 years. That means I have missed an awful lot of changes in the video game world -- they are almost lifelike, provide much more action, are massively multi-player, and are so much more difficult.

For today's New Thing, I chose to play World of Warcraft, which I easily downloaded from the Web and is free for the first 20 levels. At this point, I am still hanging out on level one, trying to understand what I am doing. It is incredibly cool and I think 14-year-old me would have quickly become addicted to it. Forty-six-year-old me enjoyed it, but this one time will probably hold me for a while,

New Thing 76, New Thing Every Day: Spend Time Reading the Koran

I have read the entire Bible, much of it many times, but never a word of the Koran, and very little of any other religious text. I am using my New Thing Every Day to remedy that situation.  Today I am reading passages from the Koran. Some are very beautiful; others are concerning. Here are some good ones.

• Is there any reward for good other than good? Quran 55:60
• No disaster strikes except by permission of Allah . And whoever believes in Allah – He will guide his heart. And Allah is Knowing of all things. Quran 64:11
• Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. Quran 3:31
• … And whoever holds firmly to Allah has [indeed] been guided to a straight path. Quran 3:101
• Say, He is Allah, [who is] One, Allah , the Eternal Refuge. Quran 112:1-2
• And We have not sent you (O Muhammad SAW) except as a giver of glad tidings and a warner to all mankind, but most of men know not. Quran 34:28
• And incline not toward those who do wrong, lest the Fire should touch you, and you have no protectors other than Allah, nor you would then be helped. Quran 11:113
• And We have sent you (O Muhammad SAW) not but as a mercy for the Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists). Quran 21:107
• And the slaves of the Most Beneficent (Allah) are those who walk on the earth in humility and sedateness, and when the foolish address them (with bad words) they reply back with mild words of gentleness. Quran 25:63
• And seek help through patience and prayer, and indeed, it is difficult except for the humbly submissive [to Allah]. Quran 2:45
• O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient. Quran 2:153
• O you who believe! be patient and excel in patience and remain steadfast, and be careful of (your duty to) Allah, that you may be successful. Quran 3:200
• Or think you that you will enter Paradise without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said, “When (will come) the Help of Allah?” Yes! Certainly, the Help of Allah is near! Quran 2:214
• Your Lord has not taken leave of you, [O Muhammad], nor has He detested [you]. And the Hereafter is better for you than the first [life]. And your Lord is going to give you, and you will be satisfied. Quran 93:3-5
• And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient. Quran 2:155
• When the victory of Allah has come and the conquest, And you see the people entering into the religion of Allah in multitudes, Then exalt [Him] with praise of your Lord and ask forgiveness of Him. Indeed, He is ever Accepting of repentance. Quran 110

New Thing 75, New Thing Every Day: Try Red Bull

Here are my 10+ thoughts about trying Red Bull energy drink for the first time.

1. Probably I am too old to drink Red Bull.
2. Red Bull is one of those consumables that did not even exist when I was growing up. I am always fascinated by those things.
3. Red Bull is not nearly as carbonated as I thought it would be.
4. It is much fruitier that I thought it would be.
5. It does not seem like Red Bull is going to be something I drink a lot.
6. Maybe if I had it with vodka?
7. So, I guess caffeine is what makes it an energy drink?
8. A small percentage of the population is not affected at all by caffeine. I am one of them.
9. Now that I have tasted Red Bull, I really do not need to finish this can.
10. Leigh says Red Bull smells like cough syrup.
11. When I really need an energy boost, I am going to stick to sugar.

New Thing 74, New Thing Every Day: Survive Ticketing for a Major Rap Concert

For those who may not know, I started and run an online event ticketing company that is active in 44 states (www.EveryEventGives.com). Last night, ending at 2:00 this morning, we had the biggest, most high profile event with which we have ever been involved. It was probably the biggest Spring Break concert at South Padre Island this year, featuring rapper Lil' Wayne and the band Migos. We sold almost 5000 tickets for around $400,000. Also, since we give $0.50 to charity for every ticket sold to the charity of the event host's choice, we gave almost $2500 to a local youth center. Pretty excited about that. So glad we pulled it off. So glad it is over.

New Thing 73, New Thing Every Day: Visit http://nooooooooooooooo.com/

I really need this today.

Check out http://nooooooooooooooo.com/

New Thing 72, New Thing Every Day: Visit the Frank Lloyd Wright Synagogue in Philadelphia

Since I am in Philadelphia for several days, I am trying to do a few New Things that I can only do here. Frank Lloyd Wright designed the synagogue that is literally 2-3 blocks from my stepfather's home, and I am a huge FLR fan, so this seemed like the perfect New Thing. Check out the link to learn a bit about this very cool structure.

Beth Sholom Congregation (Elkins Park, Pennsylvania)

New Thing 71, New Thing Every Day: Attend and Speak at a Jewish Funeral

Today I attended and spoke at the funeral for my stepfather, Sam Wurtzel. It really was not that different from the countless Christian funerals I have been to (and at which I have spoken). It was interesting, though, and the rabbi did a good job of honoring Sam.

Here is what I had to say about Sam...

When my dad died, my mom said she would never date, and she didn’t. Plenty of good men asked, but the answer was always no. Years went by, and the answer was no.

Then my mom went on a cruise with her girlfriends, and she called me when she got home. She was nervous. She was nervous as she told me that she had met somebody. She had met a man. She had met a special man and they were kind of seeing each other. That was my introduction to Sam Wurtzel, a man I would get to know better and better over the next several years.

Here is what I know about Sam Wurtzel.

I know that Sam was smart, and successful, and funny in a corny way that could occasionally be irritating. I know that Sam knew an awful lot, and that he knew he knew a lot, and that he wanted to share what he knew with us, whether we wanted him to or not; and that we were generally better off when we listened.

Perhaps Sam’s most distinguishing characteristic, though, was his generosity. I have been fortunate to know a lot of people with a pretty amazing capacity for generosity, and Sam Wurtzel very well may be the most generous person I have ever known. I have seen Sam’s generosity with charities; I have seen Sam’s generosity with friends and family; I have seen Sam’s generosity with total strangers. Sam Wurtzel was a generous, generous man.

These are not, however, the things I am going to remember most about Sam Wurtzel. Honestly, and this may sound funny to you, what I am going to remember most about Sam Wurtzel is not really about Sam at all. It is about my mother, Sam’s wife, and it is this – in the 46 years I have known my mother, I have never seen her as happy as she was with Sam. Sam made my mom so totally happy. He made her absolutely light up, and it was a joy to see. It was a gift that he gave her. It was a gift he gave my whole family. I am grateful to Sam for that, for the light he brought into our lives, for the pure joy he gave to my mother, and to so many throughout his 80 years on this earth.

Thank you, Sam. You made a difference in this life. We love you. You are missed.

New Thing 70, New Thing Every Day: Visit eelslap.com

For my new thing today, I visited the website eelslap.com. It was definitely worth the 60 seconds or so of my life.

http://eelslap.com/

New Thing 69, New Thing Every Day: Try the Latest Fad, the Fidget Spinner

People of a certain age (like, my age) will have no clue what I am talking about, but if you are 9 or so, then you know how awesome this is. The fidget spinner is a little toy, just a few inches across, with what seems like a frictionless wheel in the middle that allows the weighted toy to spin and spin and spin. You won't really understand until you see it, so check out the video at the link below. It is soothing and addictive, and I borrowed it from my 9-year-old nephew, Billy Wurtzel. I definitely need to go buy my own.

https://addictivefidgettoys.com/

New Thing 68, New Thing Every Day: Go One Full Week Without Using Profanity

Here are 10+ things related to going one full week without using profanity.

1. I love profanity. Have for decades.
2. Yes, I get the argument that use of profanity somehow shows an inability to use "better" or "smarter" words, but I have a better vocabulary than most and that argument does not seem right to me.
3. There are no other words that convey the same meaning as a good F bomb.
4. Going a week without using any profanity at all has changed me a bit, as any drastic activity will tend to do. I do feel much less need to curse now, and it does not feel as right to me as it used to. 
5. Profanity does not feel less smart or educated, but it does feel harsher, and a key goal of mine is to soften harshness in the world, so I suppose I should make not cursing more of a lifestyle choice.
6. My dad cursed a lot when I was younger, and mostly stopped when I was around 12. That was weird.
7. My favorite word still starts with an F, but I am going to try to mostly retire it.
8. My mother -- a PhD raised in a Christian home, with excellent values -- always said the s*** was her favorite word, even when I was, like, five.
9. When I married Leigh, she seldom cursed at all. I kind of ruined her.
10. Yes, it was much easier for me to reach my no-cursing goal since I was staying with my mom for a week and I basically never curse in front of her.
11. That said, my best cursing story (yes, I have one) is about cursing in front of my mother and making her happy. You should ask me about it sometime.

New Thing 67, New Thing Every Day: Watch Wild Turkeys in My Mom's Back Yard

Some of my New Things are more watching than doing, and this is one of those. At my mom's house in Kentucky, there is a flock of wild turkeys that hangs out quite a bit in her fenced yard (how they get in and out, we do not really know). Today was my first time seeing turkeys in the wild, and it was pretty cool.

New Thing 66, New Thing Every Day: Visit the Giant Fiberglass Paul Bunyan in Mortons Gap, KY

Since I am mostly stuck here in a living room in Madisonville, KY, I am coming up with fun little things to do for my New Thing Every Day. Today, it was visiting the Giant Fiberglass Paul Bunyan in Mortons Gap, KY, just five miles away.

Here is a great story about the Paul Bunyan -- http://kaleidoscopicwandering.com/2015/11/30/roadside-giant-returns-to-mortons-gap-kentucky/

New Thing 65, New Thing Every Day: Gather a Few Items to Remember My Stepfather

My stepfather is an interesting man -- accomplished, well traveled, well read, philanthropic, and just a good guy. It is a shame that I did not get to know him better over the eight years he and my mother have been married (following a late-in-life whirlwind romance), and now there will not be a chance to remedy that (a good reminder for us all, if we pay attention).

I am not a big "stuff" guy. From my dad, I have a chess board, some photos, and a few other small nicknacks with little real value. The same is true for others I have lost, and I do not hold on to many of my own things with much sentimentality (just my wedding ring, an engraved key chain my wife gave me, and a few other little things).

As a remembrance of my stepfather, Sam Wurtzel, I asked his kids for two items, and they added a third to the list. The items I chose were a watch of his I liked -- nothing fancy, and I suspect it cost between $100 and $200 -- and a cap that I am sure had absolutely no special meaning to him. In both cases, these are things I use in my day-to-day life and my thought is that I will give them their intended use, and remember Sam a bit when I do. The item the kids offered me is basically the same -- something I will actually use and that will remind me of Sam each time I do -- a cigar humidor that he used at least on a weekly basis. I smoke maybe six cigars a year, and Sam's humidor will be used and given a place of honor in my home.