Wouldn’t It Be Awesome If…
a girl like this held on to her confidence and spunk her whole life through? Madeleine and the Matriarch, Plettenberg Bay, South Africa
you woke up to outrageous blessings chalked on the sidewalk in front of your house? a little love letter from the universe?
your shy, quiet neighbors found a little note that said, “margaritas on the porch tonight–you’re invited” tucked neatly inside the front page of the morning paper?
you found a wrinkled letter in your mailbox from a faraway friend from a faraway land?
someone old and wise kissed you on the forehead, unexpectedly, to remind you you are a dear soul, a rare thing of beauty on this earth?
every taxi driver in america had at least one rider a day who wanted to hear about life back home and all the dreams that haven’t happened quite yet?
they passed out crayons instead of the syllabus? kazoos instead of job descriptions?
I could tell you one story that would change everything for you forever? this year? this month? this lifetime?
you could fall asleep every night in the arms of someone you love?
you found the words to mend a strained relationship? the just-right gesture to bring hope and healing?
the ice cream truck guy could have an angel investor who would enable him to pass out free ice cream unannounced at least once this summer?
you could call a hotline when you were freaking out and a kind, dear soul would reassure you that you are not alone, that your life has meaning and that something greater is holding us all?
you could paint without shame or self-judgment? you could write without censor?
you could show up on any doorstep in America with a chocolate cake and say, “I had a feeling something good is about to happen inside this house, so I wanted you to have this…for the celebration” and it would seem completely normal?
you could write in for a permission slip for your next big risk and receive it in the mail in three to five days?
Wouldn’t even one of these things be so great?
I’m off to celebrate a week full of camp–the WAHM’s salvation–with my cute husband, Dave Lemen. We’ll be the ones at the bookstore with the matching glasses, dueling notebooks and big cups of coffee. Your additions to my wouldn’t-it-be-awesome-ifs in the comments below would make this list truly great. Silly and serious wishes are, of course, most welcome.
UPDATE:
This post just made sk*rt thanks to a kind link from my friend Meg! Click on Love It! and help spread the love here. For those of you new to sk*rt, this is the love child of Blogher friends Gabriela and Laura who decided a site that drew attention to content that mattered to women was long overdue. In the meantime, we’re conspiring over here about that ice cream truck!
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:34 pm
this list made me smile! you’re so cute!
enjoy camp, time with dave and time with yourself.
sending you lots of sunshine, joy, coffee, smiles and glitter this week
xo
a
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:40 pm
And wouldn’t it be awesome if each person that reads this list picks one thing and does it before Sunday night??
I live in an apartment so I pick this one!
“you woke up to outrageous blessings chalked on the sidewalk in front of your house? a little love letter from the universe?”
~runs off to find her chalk~
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Again - I leave inspired! Thank-you!!!
I will pick one or two, in fact I think I may print it off an try to do everyone by the end of summer,…. or maybe I will get my kids to make a list and do it together……the possibilities really are endless……and if i lived even close - same country, I would stop by for one of those margarita’s on the porch
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:11 pm
Oh wonderful, I’m going to link to this. And:
Wouldn’t it be awesome if everyone who wanted to sing just opened their mouths and sang for joy, never mind what it sounded like.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Oh Tess…I like that!!
June 22nd, 2007 at 2:09 pm
Wouldn’t it be cool if you could stop at any house at suppertime and there would be a place set for you?
Peace,
Milton
June 22nd, 2007 at 2:49 pm
I am undone. I found this so beautiful that I actually began to tear up and I don’t cry easily. I’ve looked over your blog and you are a beautiful writer! I will be visiting your site regularly. Beautiful pictures, beautiful words. What more can one ask for? I am a writer as well, but am on an unintended hiatus from my novel. Life…it constantly interjects itself.
June 22nd, 2007 at 5:14 pm
Wouldn’t it be awesome if the people you loved most in life could all get together once and meet each other?
if tea and cookie breaks were built into every school day for students everywhere?
if everytime you saw something you loved that someone else was wearing, or a bag they carried, or colorful tattoos they had, you told them so?
if other people did the same to you?
if massage classes were required in all colleges and universities?
if dueling notebooks and coffee mugs, quiet time with hubby and bookstore breaks were incorporated into every week somehow?
if our children knew how much we loved them, especially when we have to correct them in some way?
if our adult loved ones knew the same thing???
if grace, peace, mercy, and joy were paramount factors in all government, educational, and personal decisions?
June 22nd, 2007 at 5:45 pm
if there was a national dandelion crown wearing day and everyone had to (and wanted to) wear dandelion crowns all day.
if we noticed, actually noticed, all the goodness God places in our journeys.
June 22nd, 2007 at 7:31 pm
absolutely fabulous! i have a huge lump in my throat and tears in my eyes and desire in my heart to incorporate this list into my life right now!!!
wouldn’t it be awesome if instead of thinking about these things we actually started living them now.
hope you don’t mind but i am going to link to this post. it must be shared!!!
June 23rd, 2007 at 10:32 am
Wouldn’t it be awesome if the mandatory tea and cookie breaks Gail mentioned above were built into every office/work day?
If the overwhelmed neighbor with the out of control yard woke up to find his/her grass had been cut or the garden had been weeded?
If every neighborhood had its own little theater where you could go in the summer after dinner to see spontaneous talent shows put on the neighborhood kids.
If three times a day a bell rang remdinding us all to breathe and just relax and pay attention.
If when some jerk did some awful hurtful thing we could look at them with compassion, see their hurt and respond with soothing words, patience and love
Thanks for posting this Jen. I agree that we should all pick at least one of these and make it happen in the next 7 days. It might just shift the world a little bit…
I am going to link to it too and email it. This needs to be spread far and wide.
June 23rd, 2007 at 11:01 am
Wouldn’t It Be Awesome If……
This is an inspiring post that motivated me to get out my chalk, my cake pan and my margarita glasses and start making the world a better place–one tiny act of kindness at a time. If we all did something on this list (or one of our own that we add to…
June 23rd, 2007 at 1:56 pm
if we recognized our own beauties more often, without needing someone elses recognition
if we sat down with the quietest older relative at the family gathering and asked to hear his/her life story
if we said thank you to each tree and blade of grass and fly that landed on our knee…thank you for being part of this miraculous breathing life
if we had an impromtu exchange of smiles with a complete stranger at least once a week
if we loved every step that we ran~feeling thankful for the ability to do so
if we wrote anonymous love-letters to the people we’ve always admired~and then remembered to send them
Thanks for sharing this, Jen. Beautiful…just like you!
June 23rd, 2007 at 8:17 pm
how wonderful, Jen.
Count me in on the ice cream truck.
June 23rd, 2007 at 8:56 pm
Oh, wouldn’t it be awesome and awe-inspiring if there was an answer back to every wish we sent out into the world? Every little prayer whispered before bed turned into a response?
If every wish on every first star and birthday cake came true, if only for a moment? If we all felt as though those wishes were real and heard?
What if our every talent found a home, and every skill found a recipient. That there was a someone who needed what we could do best in the world?
Claire
June 23rd, 2007 at 10:44 pm
What a beautiful post and responses as well!
The ice cream truck with free ice cream is probably one of my favorites…
Wouldn’t it be awesome if I could remember to buy an extra item(s) for contribution to our local food pantry without having to note it on my grocery list. (I’m working to establish that pattern this summer.) I note that I seldom have trouble selecting a magazine that I would like to read - so now I’m trying to for go the mag and buy the fp items.
And, Claire, as I look just above this post I am sending, I see your your final thought - “would if our every talent found a home, and every skill found a recipient.” What a beautiful thought and oh, why is it we are sooooo slow to recognize our talents!
It would be awesome if I had the nerve to use the Spanish I’ve been studying off and on for years for the person in the airport who needed my help - the next time. The last time I could have done it, Sunday night in Seattle - I just sat and prayed that the right person would appear - and my answer was answered positively almost at once. I owe God another favor!! I believe He will force me to use that broken Spanish next time or else…..
Thank you to all for ending my evening with such wonderful comments!
June 24th, 2007 at 9:50 am
I so love this.. and am going to do a worship station on it (if it’s ok with you)
wouldn’t it be awesome if…
we didn’t wait to say I love you
healthy eating was never termed “diet”
we loved who we were, wrinkles, rolls and all
we hugged someone who just look like they needed it, and it woulnd’t be weird?
We were all brave enough to do wild things?
we could just pick a wall and start a collective art project, on or in a building?
we made it a point to buy zines and self published works?
if we all thought how awesome something would be, and then just went and made it happen.
thanks jen
June 24th, 2007 at 11:49 am
if all of humanity understood and affirmed every person’s inherent beauty and value.
Jen, your words spread beauty and light. Thank you for speaking out loud.
June 24th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could remember to stop a minute before blurting out something that might be hurtful and say something nice instead?
June 24th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
if no one felt silly skipping to work, or school, or while they were shopping.
if Starbucks were free.
June 24th, 2007 at 7:27 pm
if your child’s teacher gave you cookies on Monday mornings?
I’ve done this one. You should see the looks. http://www.sk-rt.com is awesome. It’s nice not to only see tech and politics. Yea!!
June 24th, 2007 at 11:15 pm
This is wonderful. The first one is the best one for me. I often look at pictures of myself as a kid and think…never lose her.
I keep her with me at all times.
thanks,
Sylvia C.
June 25th, 2007 at 2:42 am
Absolutely beautiful, Jen! And all the comments as well! I agree, these must be lived!
Wouldn’t it be awesome if…
grown-ups would catch fireflies with children, instead of just remembering “how it used to be”
dirty laundry had legs to walk itself to the washer and dryer
we could sit and color/paint/sculpt/write/sing whenever we wanted
June 25th, 2007 at 6:29 am
You can totally and utterly see her wings and light shining in this picture…
Blissful post as always, Jen~ness
June 25th, 2007 at 9:12 am
[…] « Wouldn’t It Be Awesome If… […]
June 25th, 2007 at 8:53 pm
Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could see ourselves (and others) the way God sees us?
Wouldn’t it be awesome if we had more sence of humour and less sence of blame and fault?
Wouldn’t be awesome if we had 20 minutes of manditory dancing every day?
(thank you for a terrific and awesome post, truly inspiring!)
June 25th, 2007 at 10:12 pm
Wouldn’t it be awesome if…
all children were loved, well-fed and safe.
butterflies would land on fingertips.
a good dose of chocolate could cure cancer.
alarm clocks didn’t exist.
bubbles suddenly appeared when you were feeling blue.
if there were more posts like this and more people like you.
Thanks, Jen.
June 26th, 2007 at 12:43 am
I love this post–I will add to it for sure! I’ve read some of your post, and I think you are are a really great writer. Thanks for sharing.
June 26th, 2007 at 9:57 am
jen,
what an amazing post!!! i just love the tremendous support and beautiful additions people have added in response. we’ll change the world, girl…one “wouldn’t-it-be awesome” idea at a time
here’s the “wouldn’t it be awesome idea” i’m working on ths week:
wouldn’t it be awesome if…
when your daughter asks if she can fingerpaint or bake cookies with you or run through the sprinkler or your son asks if you can go for a bike ride to the park or read him a chapter of harry potter or do a puzzle together…you stopped whatever you were doing and said “Absolutely!”…instead of “Maybe later”?
June 26th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
wouldn’t it be awesome if….
everyone who contributed to this list could meet for a picnic in the park on a sunny day…
…and we would toast jen lemon with champagne
…and nibble on strawberries dipped in dark chocolate
…and a string quartet would be playing on the park lawn under a white canopy…
….And we’d arrange for the ice cream truck to come by, too.
June 26th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
I came back to your post and I’m amused at those of us who took “Name (required)” so seriously - never considering breaking a ‘rule’ and only using our first name or a made up name….of course, I HAD to use my whole name, it was required:)
…Wouldn’t it be awesome if some of us took more risks and broke more rules and felt o.k. about it.
June 27th, 2007 at 1:53 pm
this is just PERFECT.
now finish that children’s book woman!
June 27th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
Amen! This one needs to be printed out and taped up to the wall…
June 28th, 2007 at 11:19 pm
Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could ride your bike to my house?
And where do I send my ice cream truck donation?
June 30th, 2007 at 10:22 pm
[…] […]
July 4th, 2007 at 11:23 pm
This is all so beautiful and I AM going to choose something from the list to do this week and I AM going to come up with a short list of my own thoughts, beginning with…
Wouldn’t it be awesome if YOGA was a required class in school?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if excellent teachers were valued and paid as much as athletes?
Would it be awesome if families made it a point to sit down together for dinner and conversation every night?
And wouldn’t it be wonderful if the world were filled with more people like all of you who’ve written such beautiful things on this site?
July 27th, 2007 at 9:30 am
[…] Looking for something to do? Here’s a great list to get you started. […]
August 25th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
[…] School starts on Monday and my only regret is that I never got it together to have a Free Ice Cream Day with Mousa our neighborhood ice cream truck guy. But with temperatures still in the high-nineties, maybe it’s not too late? You can donate to our cause below and thrill the cutest neighborhood kids you’ve ever seen. We’ll see how this goes, but Friday after school might be just right. I promise to post pics! […]
September 6th, 2007 at 10:41 am
[…] Yesterday we had our wouldn’t-it-be-awesome-if-there-was-free-ice-cream day. I have to say thank you, thank you, thank you so much to those of you who kicked in. We collected $155 and served free ice cream out of the ice cream truck to at least 65 kids in about forty minutes. The kids really could not wrap their minds around the idea that people they had never met had pitched in to give them a treat. In the end, we decided to tell them it was from the Universe which seemed to go over just fine. Check out these smiles. […]
September 8th, 2007 at 7:45 pm
sigh. lovely.
September 24th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
[…] On a housekeeping note, I’m planning a short trip to New York City at the end of next week and wondered if there are any local NY blog readers who might like to have a little MeetUp for coffee and conversation. I have new Wouldn’t it be Awesome dreams floating around my head, and it would be so nice to discuss them in a real live conversation with you. If that’s appealing to you at all and you’ll be in the city during that time (or if you’d like to send a friend you know would really be energized by that kind of thing), please drop me a line at jen dot lemen at gmail dot com. […]
September 24th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
Oh Jen, thanks again.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every child in the world heard the words ‘I love you’ at least once a day.
September 25th, 2007 at 5:40 am
Wouldn’t it be awesome:
if all your kids could ride their bikes to my place and come play with the kids in the refugee camp - start breaking down those barriers before they ever get started
September 30th, 2007 at 5:18 am
Hi JenLemen!
I love your blog. When I am feeling down I read your posts to get a cheer up! I simply love this this wouldn’t it be awesome if.. idea, and have started one of my own too - hope you don’t mind. I am a Mom of three grown-ups and yet still young enough to enjoy life, but life can be tough and tiring at times here in South Africa, and your posts keep me focused ont he good things- thanks jenlemen!!
November 7th, 2007 at 9:02 am
[…] everyone I know read this post by Jen Lemen, picked something on it and did it by Saturday next. I think the world would shift in small but amazing ways…I double dog dare ya… […]
November 7th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
[…] Last night after posting a link to Jen Lemen’s ‘awesome’ post I remembered something I saw a few years back that really touched me. […]
November 7th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
[…] Please go and read this post by Jen Lemen. And add some ideas of your own to her comments. […]
June 8th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
[…] I found a warm fuzzy blog written by Jen Lemen, http://jenlemen.com/blog?p=183 In this post Jen has a list of wonderful “Wouldn’t it be awesome if..” ideas, […]