Today, we saw a couple kissing. Every single day, people exchange a kiss to someone. Family members. Friends. Lovers.
Family and friends aside (to make sure this doesn’t get truly gross), there was a time when you likely kissed your romantic partner as though you were sinking, together on the Titanic. Neither of you were really breathing, you were both oblivious to the world around you, and even if your shoes were in flames and your pants were covered in gasoline, your lips would not unlock.
Perhaps you still kiss your girl like Hollywood even though you live in the suburbs. Maybe you still kiss your guy like the world is about to end even though you’re just running errands during rush hour. Realistically, you don’t spend the same amount of time kissing your special somebody compared to when you first started dating.
Sure. You have responsibilities. You can’t skip work to just “make out.” At the same time, consider how you would want to spend your moments if you knew they were your last ones.
Make the time to REALLY lock lips with your sweetheart. These are NOT the kisses you give to relatives…otherwise you end up in the newspaper in the bad part of the family section. Although sometimes making for an awkward sight on a bus, subway, or grocery store parking lot, high schoolers are usually professionals public displays of affection. If you forget how to do it, just watch them. Take a lesson from their commitment to competitive kissing.
Perhaps these words won’t resonate with you as you consider what to do with your extra hours. Maybe you cannot kiss that special someone any more. Maybe you have never kissed that special someone. Whether or not these words make sense in your life, never forget the power of a kiss.
Have you dated your someone for a few months? Kiss them. Have you dated someone for a few years. Kiss them. Have you been married to someone for a few decades? Research “high school kissing,” be warped to your past, and kiss your partner THAT way. Did you just celebrate your 60th wedding anniversary? Raise the blood pressures of your senior citizen community, and indulge in tonsil hockey at meal time. Heck, why not wheel your chairs to the nearest playground and just make out. Really.
A peck on the cheek is sweet, but when was the last time you kissed your special someone like it was the last time? Decide to spend some extra time kissing like the last time. Next time you get groceries, stop the traffic in the milk department. Next time you ride the bus, make people glare. Next time you are in bumper to bumper traffic, make people honk for a good reason.
Your five hundred extra hours can be used to reduce stress, live a more exciting life and reconnect with the people that matter in life. Kissing like it’s the last time is a perfect way to get all of the above.
Have you seen anyone use their extra hours in this way lately? Do tell.
Be A Hero
Today we saw super heroes walking the city streets. Saving lives. Ridding the city of evil. You know, common stuff for a super hero.
It isn’t every day you get to see heroes working together to make the world a better place, but we had the privilege of being in the presence of greatness. These individuals made the time to create their uniforms before they went out into the world. Why? So we all knew what they were up to and knew who to ask for help. Costumes shouted different neon colours. Capes flapped I the mid-day wind.
Decide to improve someone’s life. It only requires a small amount of your time each day. Consider being a hero in the eyes of a loved one, friend or colleague.
Go the extra mile in your family. Make 30 extra minutes to connect with your child by reading them a story or asking them how their day was at school…and really give a good listen! Take a few extra steps at work and clean that 2nd drawer; the one that you always shove files into because you will “get to it later.” Walk down the hall and appreciate the hard work of someone on your team. Listen to your favourite song during the last 30 minutes of your day so, rather than leaving the job drained, you travel home feeling recharged.
You don’t need a cape to decide to be a hero. You just need to make a little extra time each day for the important people and projects in your life.
That being said, capes are totally an option if you want to go one step further.
Like this:
Today I played pool with Papa. He is my grandpa. The man is flirting with his 90s, but is still living through his 30s. He is social, he plays live music and he keeps one if his main passions a priority – playing pool.
Every so often, I indulge in a game with him. After each one of these occasions, I wish I made more time to learn more about the sport and approach the game through his eyes.
All pool aside, we can always decide to devote a few more hours toward these sidelined activities that we know are quite important.
There is a SHARK in the pool (hall)!
Who is someone you admire? What activities do you wish you engaged in more often?
For me, it’s playing pool with Papa. For you, it might be something else. Have a hockey game with your neighbours. Assist someone with their art work. Get back to your book club. Learn to ride a bike if you never got around to it.
I am not the best pool player, but Papa is pretty good. I am excited to devote a few more hours to the game of pool. In doing so, I get even more quality time alongside my grandfather. We all have activities in this life and we can do them alongside the people that we love. The beautiful thing is that we can always decide to make the time for both.
Today we met David. Running between meetings, David stopped to talk. He is like most of us: His city surrounds him, his work consumes him.
With 500 extra hours, David would shift from a commuter and morph into an explorer. Did he say that? No. Did he mean that? Yes. David articulated the fact that we often take our own neighbourhood for granted. Residents of Paris don’t line up to see the Eiffel Tower. Residents of Toronto don’t crowd around the CN Tower. We fail to appreciate the beauty of our own backyard (for David, that is Toronto). Chill out in China Town. Dive into the Danforth. Surround yourself with the sights of Centre Island.
Consider David’s commitment to urban exploration. Stress between the stoplights, or stop to smell the roses? You decide.
Today we were drawn to a street performer in the city square. There was a circle of spectators around him, all waiting to be impressed. We joined the crowd, and pushed record on our camera just before he started to juggle four balls.
As he was about to add a fifth ball to the mix, he shared an incredibly valuable lesson with the crowd, and we had to share it with you. Check it out:
What mind-blowing circus act would you begin to master with 1000 extra hours? Juggling? Trapeze? Fire Breathing? Plate-spinning? We’d love to know.
Today we met Shado. He was standing outside the Eaton Centre with a guitar, a microphone and an amp last week on one of the hottest afternoons of the summer. We caught him mid-song. His guitar case was open in front of him, and he was ready to receive appreciation from fans as they passed by.
It didn’t take us long to realize that not only did Shado have talent, but he also had incredible dedication and commitment to his craft. He played as if there were 50,000 screaming fans in front of him. We were hooked.
It was clear he was doing something he loved, and we were excited to ask him the question.
We waited for him to finish a tune, and struck up a conversation. Here’s what Shado would do with 500 Extra Hours.
We can’t wait to get our hands on Shado’s album, and we’re excited to be at his next live show. Will you join us?
@shayneishakelly, living her 500 extra hours.
Today we met Shayneisha. Not because she saw our sign. In fact, the sign wasn’t up. We were walking along Yonge Street.
We were drawn in by her focus. She was performing a monologue. No fancy sets or costumes. No co-actors. Just her, and a man standing off to the side looking on. He looked to be reading a script to make sure she didn’t miss any lines.
As we joined the crowd of onlookers, that in Shayneisha’s mind, she wasn’t on the streets of Toronto, but more likely on stage in an off Broadway play in New York City. In fact, had Shayneisha told us she was a professional actress in from New York from the weekend, we would have believed her.
Of course, we had to know more. We waited for her to finish her scene and asked her to tell us more about what she was up to.
Shayneisha is 14 years old. In the fall, she begins high school at a prestigious school for the arts in Toronto. She’s using the summer to practice her craft. We are blown away by what she’s doing because instead of rehearsing in her bedroom or in a private studio, she sets up shop on one of the busiest intersections in the city. Shayneisha isn’t waiting for an opportunity to come to her. She’s creating one.
Despite the heat, she plans to be out there almost every single day for the rest of the summer. As for her dad; he’s her number one fan. He will be right next to her (with his script, checking her lines).
There’s absolutely no question what Shayneisha would do with 500 extra hours. Acting is her life, and she’s letting the world know.
P.S. Follow her on Twitter @shayneishakelly
- Indigo’s newest employee.
Today we met Hagrid!!! Okay, we didn’t.
But we were among a small crowd of highly impressed people taking snapshots of Hagrid this morning at Indigo. We laughed when from behind us we heard a lady say, ‘Wow. Someone’s got a lot of extra time on their hands!’
Of course, that got us thinking:
1) How many hours did J.K. Rowling spend creating the character Hagrid in her Harry Potter masterpiece?
2) How many hours did a team of LEGO geniuses take to build a bigger than life-size statue of Hagrid?
Time is incredible. So is LEGO. When you mesh the two, amazing things are created. With thousands of pieces of LEGO, some people can create beautiful pieces of art just like this.
We all have our own ‘LEGO’; building blocks that aren’t much on their own, but that when combined with imagination, creativity, belief, and of course a little time, Harry Potter-like magic takes place and new art emerges.
Some of us build with music notes. Others, with words, paintbrushes, pieces of wood, computers, or exciting business ideas. Needless to say that we are extremely curious to know: What is your ‘LEGO’?
Today we met Jenn. She saw us sitting at the table with our sign up, inviting people to come talk to us. Rather than coming to talk us right away, she spent a solid hour “surveying” us, to make sure we weren’t total creeps. After doing a reference check (asking one of the staff at the coffee shop if we are weird, dangerous or any other bad things), she came to talk to us.
Jenn responded from the heart. No hesitation. No delay. Pure sincerity. We were intrigued and inspired to hear what she had to say.
Family members create the best times of our life. Family members create the worst times of our life. Jenn reminds us that there is always time to create moments with family.
Make the time for picture-taking. Make the time for moment-making. Appreciate family nearby. Appreciate family even if you need to fly.
Blake Fly alongside Chris. We are in love with his dedication.
Once again, we met Chris Yonge. He was back once again, continuing to fill his 500 Hours with the thing that matters to him the most; sharing his music. As we learned before, Chris doesn’t simply push himself. He listens. He wants to know the people who will be listening to his music. We believe this will take him to incredible heights.
This is only the beginning for Greedy Pockets.
P.S. If you’re on Twitter, be sure to follow him @greedypockets
We met Hollie. She sat down at our table and told us that she was intrigued by our sign.
We asked her the question. Her response was slightly different than any we’d previously heard. First, we learned that Hollie is a blogger. And not just any blogger – she’s ‘The Common Cents Mom’ and her blog is one of the most widely read in the country. We were impressed, and curious to find out more. We learned that Hollie is incredibly passionate about helping people find ways to simplify their life, especially when it comes to money. As she puts it on her blog, everything she teaches revolves around ‘earning cents, saving cents, and giving cents’.
We’ve now bookmarked her site, and are excited to check in regularly.
The video below captures her spontaneously genuine answer to our question. Holly’s answer got us thinking. She taught us that we’re surrounded by endless ways to contribute to a cause bigger than ourselves, and that a lot of the time, seconds and hours are far more valuable than dollars and cents.
Today we met Heather. Heather Reisman. Founder and CEO of Indigo Books & Music Inc. If you’re anything like us, you know her as Heather from the “Heather’s Picks” sticker on select books at Chapters and Indigo.
She introduced herself to us as we sat in our corner (window) office (at a Starbucks table) and made the time to ask each of us about our story. She then invited us to share a few insights about our book project.
Not many people go out of their way to do that, but Heather does. She didn’t have to make that time or ask that question, but she did. Why? She is genuine, kind and caring. She showed genuine interest in our project and played a massive role in creating a great day for us.
Heather made us feel truly special, simply because she showed interest in what we were doing. According to Wikipedia, she could be doing far more important things than talking to artists like us. Nope. She talks to us anyway. For that, we wanted to capture the moment and take a photo.
We committed to develop the photo within the hour and leave the picture for her. By the time we returned, she had left. Regardless, we did what we set out to do. We printed our own copies and then left her a memento of the conversation too. Heather is now in one of our pics. We were excited to develop the photo quickly and become one of Heather’s “pics.”
Thank you to everyone who makes the time to discover people’s stories. The conversation with Heather reminded each of us to go out and continue to surface the story of the strangers around us.
After all, they are just friends we have yet to meet.
Today we met Chris Yonge.
People like Chris are extremely rare. Also known as ‘Greedy Pockets‘, we connected with Chris on Yonge Street (near Dundas) as we were headed to lunch. We saw him standing poised with a messenger bag over his shoulder, and a handful of CDs. We had to chat. After a quick introduction, here’s what we learned about Chris in 5 minutes:
1) He OOZES passion - While going to school for Marketing, Chris spent countless hours (likely more than 500) in the studio, self-producing his very first Hip-Hop Album. Chris cares deeply about the work he puts out, and it’s evident in the finished product (we bought 3 CDs).
2) He works SUPER hard - Investing time, money, and energy into creating an album from scratch is one thing. Shaking hands with complete strangers all day long at Yonge & Dundas in a genuine effort to create meaningful relationships with people who will become fans of him and his music, is another. Chris is doing whatever it takes to live his passion and realize his dreams.
3) He’s LOADED with courage - Chris goes for it. He puts himself out there. He’s vulnerable. It takes a special meshing of confidence and humility to take passion to the street. Chris is a regular.
We were excited to hear how Chris would use his 500 Extra Hours. Here’s what he had to say:
We were thrilled to meet Chris, and are excited to keep in touch and watch as he explodes onto the hip hop scene, and we’re grateful to learn such valuable lessons from a guy truly living his 500 Hours every single day.
Today we met Rouzana.
She came to the coffee shop to continue working on her thesis. Bravo. Education is endless and it is admirable to see lifelong learners. Only moments into our conversation, she went past the topic of her thesis and articulated her dreams. Rouzana seemed like a very happy young woman. After our conversation, the brightness in her eyes made us realize that she has some quiet goals upon a shelf that may bring even greater happiness.
What are your daydreams?
Our goal is to make people realize that day dreams are just day jobs waiting to happen. Consider digging deeper and devoting a few hours to that part of your life which won’t just pass the time, but will enrich your soul.
Acting. Painting. Connecting. Those are just some of the things Rouzana would indulge in during her 500 extra hours.
Rouzana wants to step onto a stage and become an actor. She wants to keep up her painting profession and use her art to take people’s breath away. At the end of the coffee shop chit chat, she realized that connecting with loved ones is what matters the most.
Our conversation with Rouzana has just begun.
Why?
We are excited to attend her plays, see her paintings, and hear about the meaningful moments she makes with the loved ones in her life.
Paint your portraits. Step onto your stage. Connect with loved ones.
Today I visited my Grandma. She doesn’t say much anymore as she ages, but her company will always be timeless.
Grandmas are the best. When you are young, granny comes to visit and give you an unnecessarily firm kiss on the cheek. We know some people who have grandmas that only kiss on the lips. Yikes! Perhaps Grandma brings over the baked goods. Tin foil treats that gift wrap everything from bagels to brownies, pasta to pastries. We must realize that as time passes, Grandmas may not be able to bake as often or visit as frequently. Why? Elderly people eventually need increased care from their children. Perhaps even their grandchildren. That grandchild is you.
Go visit grandma.
Grandma in a party hat.
Maybe she is down the road. Maybe she is a few hours away. Maybe she is across the globe. Maybe she is no longer with you. Whether it is a personal visit, a phone call or a handwritten letter, connect with that caring soul who called your mommy their baby. If your grandma has passed away, make the time to dig up some old photos or share some fun stories about her with your family members.
Time flies and we are not getting any younger. It might be difficult to make the time for grandma because conversations with her might be slow or even non-existent depending on her health. Guess what? You will be old someday. Really old. You will want your family to visit you. Really visit you. Be that family member and go visit.
Let’s all remind ourselves of one thing. Not all grandmas are super old. Heck, some of them are quite young. At the end of the day, I think we can all agree on this one point. It is important to make the time to connect with your mom’s mom. Why? Without her, you wouldn’t even be here.
Make the time to visit with Grandma. She might even have a freshly baked treat, wrapped up in tin foil.
Today we met Harold.
Sidewalks are smothered by strangers every single day. Sometimes, we
are the stranger. Sometimes, we are the friend. The gap between the
two is really a decision we get to make.
Do you indulge in your cell phone and verify that your shoelaces are still on top of your feet, or
do you acknowledge the people who you pass?
Harold has no interest in cell phones or shoelaces.
In today’s conversation, Harold transferred this pearl of wisdom our
way:
“I am what I am because I have met you. And in this meeting you
have become part of me. And because of you I am what I am.”
He wrote that passage decades ago. Years later, it is still incredibly true.
Harold reminds us that our culture is decided by three things:
Our parents; our education; and our outside influences. Harold was an
outside influence for us today. People just like him influence you
every single day.
The more we text our messages and touch our iPads, the less we can be
positively impacted by the people that we pass.
Every single one of your friends in this life
started out as a stranger. You are who you are because you have met them.
Harold is now a friend of ours. We have his mailing address and plan
to write on a regular basis. Why?
He helped shape the people that we are today.
