dailyprompt

What’s a moment in your life that made you feel truly alive?

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When I was 16-17, I often hung out at my friend’s house after school or practice. The house belonged to the parents of two brothers in the friend group, and they were pretty chill about having their sons’ group of up to eight friends crashing there at all hours of the day and night. I say “pretty” because the stepdad would get pretty pissed when we woke him up late at night with whatever shenanigans we were up to downstairs. The worst was when we didn’t know they were home, which happened once and led to an explosive confrontation. While I was scared there, that moment was topped in the following weeks.

Trying to leave the house quietly around 11 P.M., I realized I was parked right next to the parents’ bedroom. The car I was driving, a Suzuki Samurai, was extremely loud and would be sure to wake the stepdad up. Sleepy myself, I thought up the brilliant idea to roll the 4×4 down the hill, thinking I could jump into the driver’s seat and start it at the bottom of the driveway. 

The driveway was a steep 20-45 degree drop in some parts, stretching out just over 100 yards or so. I rolled the Samurai out of the rocks, onto the paved driveway, and nudged it over the edge of the hill.

It immediately veered towards the house, right under the parents’ bedroom window. 

I sprinted with all my might, in three bounds, and launched into the driver’s seat of the Samurai. I was extremely thankful my dad took them off in the summer in that moment. I jerked the Samurai’s wheel to the right, popped the clutch to start the car, and rolled out in a flash, the car not roaring until I hit the asphalt below. 

The next few months I visited, I walked a little more lightly. And parked a little further away from their bedroom. 

What’s the most underrated life skill?

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  As I get older, more and more people seem unaware of how to use critical thinking to solve problems in their lives. I don’t mean to denigrate people, and obviously the people I work with are in school and still learning how to problem-solve. However, based on my time in customer service and hospitality, it is ridiculous to be an adult with all the technology and information in the world and still act helpless. 

  This statement has obvious problematic implications, so let me add some caveats: of course, it is okay to ask for help, especially if you need it. My issue comes from people who cannot problem-solve, but then get mad and abusive towards the people who are trying to help them. I see it at the store: some people treat retail workers like dirt for the crime of not using their brains to do basic thinking that would save all of us trouble. 

  I worked at a hotel, and a long-term guest clogged her toilet. The hotel was a  I was 19 or 20 at the time, so I rushed over after she called the front desk asking for a plunger. I had her the plunger, and she told me she didn’t know how to use it. Now, I was a front desk attendant, not maintenance, but I didn’t mind doing stuff outside of my work duties since I was young and dumb. But what did she mean, she didn’t know how to use a plunger? Had she never clogged a toilet before? I did what she asked, but it never made sense to me.

What are five simple exercises to do at home?

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Five simple exercises – 

Push-ups – the unsung hero; work your arms, chest, and core through grounded push-ups. 

Squats – get low, get low – work your legs and can engage the core with proper form

Burpees – similar to the push-up, but with the added stress of getting up and jumping before going back down for another. I like to orient myself and bring my knees to my chest before going down for another.

Toe touches – good for the back; keep your legs straight while stretching your hamstrings. 

Marches – I like to stand in place and bring my knees up as high as I can, while maintaining my balance on my other leg.