On Shoes, Death and Pranks: Not Necessarily In That Order

The tinsel and magic of the holidays are fading away, and the doldrums of January are beginning to creep in already. But, never fear dear readers! We shall persevere through this “bleak midwinter” and seek out the light of random topics to brighten our shortened days!

It’s cold in Utah – teen digits, dipping into sub zero at night. My mind is frozen. My body is cold. My house is an icebox (#1. because we have single-paned windows and poor insulation. #2. because we keep our thermostat down to try to save money due to #1.). In other words, I don’t feel like coming out from under the covers.

But, here are a few things that brightened my day to share with you:

#1. Kimmel/Blunt/Krasinski Christmas Prank War

I just realized this is the second Jimmy Kimmel bit I’ve shared in the past 30 days. Who wuldda thought? If you missed the first, be sure to go check it out – it’s even musical! This bit is self explanatory involving Jimmy Kimmel vs. married actors Emily Blunt & John Krasinski. It made me giggle, and I had to share it.

#2. Recycle Your Life: Help Rejuvenate The World As A Tree When You Die

OK, hear this one out and don’t laugh. I admit, I’ve been thinking a lot more about my own mortality these days. I’m getting closer and closer to the big 5-0 and Mr. Mo is already on the “other side” of receiving his AARP letter. Not to mention our parents are getting way up there and “show signs of their age”. Death is a reality of life, but oddly enough we all tend to avoid the topic and it’s never completely comfortable to think and speak about – unless we can look at it lightheartedly, right? Today I actually enjoyed thinking about death after discovering the Biodegradable Urn That Will Rebirth You Into A Tree When You Die.

Seriously, I LOVE THIS! I think this is so totally cool!!!! I would LOVE to be “regenerated” into a tree after this life. Wouldn’t you?

Disclaimer: And when I say “regenerated into a tree”, please understand that I am not promoting a new found belief of “reincarnation”, i.e. actually “becoming” a tree. Rather, “regenerate” as in allowing the ashes of my body to become rich fertilizer for the growth and sustainment of a new tree’s life.

This Promo Video Offers Some Great Arguments – And It’s Humorous

Here are my thoughts:

1. Personally, I think this would be an incredible improvement for our planet if we changed our death rituals and this became standard practice. It’s time to rethink how to improve the world when we die and not add more burdens.
2. Imagine all of the lovely forests and parks we could have to visit instead of stone-filled cemeteries – which no one actually visits except during Memorial Day and sometimes Veterans Day and all the rest of the days in-between it just becomes wasted real-estate / “dead space”.
3. You can literally be a part of a reforestation project near and abroad – replenishing the earth with more life-giving oxygen, shade and wildlife refuge. “Saving the rain forest one life at a time”.
4. Teach greater respect to children for trees and forests, knowing that blue spruce ‘could be someone’s grandma’,  (ok, I couldn’t resist – but, seriously, it really would promote more fauna reverence, don’t you think?)
5. THINK of how much MONEY this would save! No more going into debt buying ridiculous trappings for someone who never actually gets to see or enjoy any of it. (definitely worth thinking about)
6. It goes without saying that I’m sure the multi-billion-dollar mortuary business would be in jeopardy. But, they would simply need to “re-imagine” their services. There would still be plenty of folks willing to pay for elaborate “planting ceremonies”, invest in rare seeds to include inside the urn, buy special land to plant the urn, etc….
7. Quite frankly, it’s time to rethink the way we treat the planet before, during, and after we live in it.

To My Family: Please let my body be useful and helpful after I’m done with it! When my spirit departs and I “pass over the great divide”, I would like all of my organs, eyes, skin, whatever is needed to be donated to those in need. Then, let’s have the rest of me become rich fertilizer for a nice sturdy tree. I liked the idea of becoming a Redwood Tree – because they pretty much live forever – but that means I would have to be transplanted to California or the West-coastal USA, and I prefer to stay closer to “home”. Therefore, a nice Evergreen tree will do. You can even decorate me for Christmas. God can, and will, certainly put all my pieces back together again during the Resurrection just as promised. Until then, I’d like to know I’m still performing a very useful service for the planet. [and YES, I am actually very serious – please don’t pump my body full of chemicals, slather me in makeup I have to wear for eternity, and stuff me inside nested boxes 6 feet under! I’m terribly claustrophobic! Give me AIR and SUNSHINE!]- The end.

#3. DID SOMEONE SAY NEW SHOES?!?

Any day is a happy day for me when I get to purchase new shoes! And, today it was not just ANY shoes, but NEW RUNNING SHOES! Join with Julie Andrews in singing “these are a few of my favorite things”. My Physical Therapist officially declared my current shoes done for, which is great news because that means I have put enough mileage on them to retire them with honors. Therefore, today I purchased a brand new replacement pair – and I even got a great deal on Amazon (a third of the price from our local running store). Score!

 

Tomorrow morning Mr. Mo and I are going to brave the frozen tundra and join the “Resolution Run 10K” in rural Kaysville, Utah. Yep, we’re that crazy. But, we can’t break our streak. Two January’s ago we made a resolution to run at least 1 race event per month. Yes, this is what we now do for fun together. We have this strange shared interest of braving extreme elements, getting completely exhausted & sweaty and limping around for days afterward. Who Knew?! We don’t think of ourselves as “real runners” (i.e. competing for medals and getting decent race times). We show up and we finish. That’s our bliss. This will be my running shoes “retirement event”. I hope they do me proud and don’t make me slip and fall on the ice due to worn treads! (or, worse, make me eligible for my “tree regeneration ceremony” – which I’m not quite ready for yet!). Wish me luck. I’ll report back.

In the meantime, be well and embrace the joys of living! – MoSop