Hi everyone, and Happy Holidays from everyone at Huh?! Blog. We’ve experienced lots of changes and growth in the last three years, and we feel that we are finally on the right path. We have amassed lots of useful information, have reached lots of people (thanks to Facebook and Twitter!), and with the amazing million-dollar agent with whom we are negotiating (Pete from http://www.brandlicensingexpert.com ), 2011 will put my “Huh?!” trademark in front of millions of people around the world.
It has not been an easy journey. This past year, I’ve personally lost some people I didn’t expect to lose, I’ve gained some people whose importance I wasn’t wise enough to understand, and I learned some lessons that made my vision (and my understanding of it) much clearer. It was made much more vivid to me that the future unfolds in many unexpected ways, and that our time is much shorter than it seems. I’ve had to learn to grieve (which has been why there have been fewer articles recently than I planned on huhblog.com), and I learned that there are two irrefutable constants in life: your time here (in this life) is indefinable, and you have to demonstrably appreciate each triumph, gift and blessing you accrue. Please allow me to explain.
I am a rational, reasonable man. I believe in science, math, and any things that can be proven. I believe that the sky looks blue, that fire is hot, and that dinosaurs are part of the reason that my car moves when I press on the accelerator. I also believe in magic. Not the “abracadabra-here-is-the-rabbit” kind of magic, but the “Wow, how/why-did-that-happen?” kind of magic. I truly believe that no matter how advanced we become, there are certain things that we cannot understand because Our Beneficent Father (the name that I use to personify the mechanism that led to our existence) does not want for us to become jaded. This is a great idea, because I believe that he knows us even better than we know ourselves: we do have an amazing tendency to take things for granted after they become part of our norm-see I-Pod:20,000 songs hanging on your belt is a miracle if you used to listen to records!
Why would a so-called “believer in the scientific method” put so much “faith” in something that cannot be proven? Because I recognize the need that we all have to do just that. Think about it. Since we were children progressing into adulthood, we have had one “sacred” magical figure after another stripped away from us. Tooth Fairy? DEBUNKED! Easter Bunny? TRASHED! Santa…? And what have we replaced these beloved icons with? Drugs, drink, and disillusionment! It is very true that trauma experienced in childhood has a profound effect on adulthood. This lack of things to believe in, I believe, is one of the very reasons that there is such a growing tide of misery today.
Think about it. People go to work, (giving their best to some impersonal corporate entity which ultimately cares only about its own continued existence- it’s not like the old days, folks!), come home, plop themselves in front of the TV, consume some non-descript meal, and struggle to convey the disillusionment that overwhelms them to a family who is so needy themselves that they cannot hear the urgent pleas for understanding being sent their way. To be completely honest, if everyone in the world stopped talking (and stopped trying to get everyone else to listen), there would still be one almost universal query: “IS THIS ALL THERE IS?!”
I hate to say it, but I’ve heard the same message many ways (especially recently). Consider the recent economic calamity. Millions of people are out of work, people who are still working are working twice as hard for less pay, and the people who are unemployed are looked upon as pariahs who should just “suck it up” and tell their kids that Santa brought coal so that they wouldn’t be cold during the winter (I saw a pundit on CNN subtly suggest such a thing- jerk!).
Now that you understand what I mean, we can get back to the two earlier constants: your time here (in this life) is indefinable, and you have to demonstrably appreciate each triumph, gift and blessing you accrue. First, there is no way for anyone to know how long that anyone is going to be a member of the “Oxygen Habit Club”. We know our life expectancies (74 males, 80 females- Ladies, give us a break!J). With this in mind, everyone should do their best to make their mark as early and as definitively as possible. “Procrastination” should be as taboo as any four-letter word, and one’s pursuit of self-fulfillment should be regarded as highly as military service. Can you imagine how beautiful the world would be if it had the advantage of more people who actually realized that “time waits for no one”? We could have accomplished so many more things (or at least we would have much more understanding). And, we would have the added benefit of being able to enjoy our accomplishments for a longer period of time. Wouldn’t you rather have your Ferrari at 30 than at 70? Think about it.
Second, one should learn to appreciate our little Easter eggs when we find them. I’ve met people in my life that seemingly have the world at their feet. Money, companionship, freedom, and many other of the trappings of success are stepped over and ignored, regarded as mere inconveniences that block their path on their way to that bigger, better deal. People like this are so busy trying to get to their next destination, that they miss out on the joys that they can experience from the journey itself! If you were traveling to California, wouldn’t your trip be more memorable if you stopped by the Grand Canyon or the Rocky Mountains as well? It seems to me that the person who amasses the best stories and memories has spent his years most wisely. And it is very difficult to be miserable when your head is filled with wonderful events and episodes.
So with the approaching New Year, we here at Huh?! Blog challenge you to go out, break the monotony, and make yourself some great memories! It doesn’t have to be anything monumental at the beginning; it could even be something as simple as a trip to the museum or aquarium. Whatever it is you choose to do… DO IT! Soak up every color, smell, and impression. I truly believe that life is meant to be experienced, not endured. Make yours matter! Then in 2011, come back to Huh?! Blog, and tell us all about it. We’ll be waiting…
P.S. Start by appreciating something simple, like flowers or music or time spent with family and friends. You don’t have to be paid like Diddy to enjoy life… but that would be nice…
