Читать книгу A Head Full of Everything - Gavin Oattes - Страница 11

Let me share with you my favourite quote of all time. We all love a good motivational quote. Everyone does. It's incredible how powerful a few positive words can be. There's a lot of quotes in this book, all quite different from the norm, but you've probably started to work out that neither this book or I for that matter are particularly normal.

And for the record, I'm very comfortable with not being normal. I wasn't for a very long time. I reckon my ‘2,555 days of WTAF’ consisted mainly of desperately trying to fit in and yet somewhat confusingly trying to determine how to stand out.

My conclusion?

Normal is boring.

Anyway, back to my quote!

This quote is by none other than Macauley Culkin. I'm pretty sure you'll know who Macauley is; if you don't, he was the wee boy in the Home Alone movies. Well, he was in the first two. I'm not sure if you even know that there are other Home Alone movies? Probably best to just stick with the first two….

So yeah, we're starting a book for teenagers with Kevin. Kevin McAllister to be exact. The cute, cheeky and street‐savvy 8‐year‐old that lit up our lives with booby‐traps, mischief and a lovely cheese pizza just for him. Apparently – according to his cousin – ‘he's what the French call les incompetents’.

Now, whether you are a fan of the Home Alone franchise or not, it's fair to say Kevin was anything but incompetent. He took us all on a journey, an exciting adventure that ultimately reminded us of the importance of love, bravery, family and making the most of what we have. Oh, and not relying on technology, particularly to wake us up before a flight!

The quote goes as follows:

‘I’ve yet to find a level of enthusiasm that tops

“Holy shit look at this giant potato chip!”’

—Macaulay Culkin

I love it.

Why?

Because it's true.

It doesn't matter what age you are, where you're from or what type of upbringing you've had. If you are sitting eating a bag of crisps and you pull from it a giant piece of fried potato, it makes your day! It puts a great big smile on your face. But not just yours!

Because, in that moment you turn to everyone else in the room and show it off. And you put a great big smile on their faces too. I'm not sure if you've ever realised this, but whenever you find any massive item of food, you always use your face as a comparative measuring tool.

‘LOOK MUM, IT'S THE SIZE OF MY FACE!’

And of course, if there's no one else in the room, what do we do? Yup, we reach for our phones, take a quick pic and its on Snapchat, Tik Tok, Twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and whatever else there is these days for the whole world to see.

I guess I love the idea of being able to reach into an entirely normal moment, an everyday situation, and pull from it something that puts a smile on your face, lifts you, excites you or makes you laugh. But so much so you need to share it with others.

And that's my challenge to you with this book. Treat it as your very own big metaphorical bag of crisps and reach in. Pull from it something. Something is always a good starting point. It might not be the something you expected, it might be something small, something new or it might just be something that sets your soul on fire. It might be something that makes you laugh, makes you cry, it might even make you angry. But whatever you pull from this book, make sure it's something worth sharing with the world.

I had no plans to mention Macaulay Culkin, but ultimately his quote above is what this book is all about. Seeing the beauty and wonder in everything. Even the ordinary, the every day. Even a giant potato chip. It's about simplicity and appreciating all that's around you. Allowing ourselves to be excited at life, what it throws us, everything. It's about grit, bravery and passion. It's about rediscovering that childlike wonder, living in the moment, getting through all sorts of challenges and yes, having fun, lots of it, always.

I mentioned earlier that nobody is normal. But being a teenager is. And yet there is nothing normal about our teenage years.

So, this book isn't normal, you're not normal, I'm not normal, but being a teenager is entirely normal.

Confused? Good, yet another trait of being a successful teenager!

“You're a ghost driving a meat covered skeleton made from stardust, what do you have to be scared of ?”

—Anon