If Neil Pasricha wasn't depressed he might not be famous right now. If he hadn't been in the midst of a failing marriage and bummed out by daily media-delivered bad news he might not have been inspired to start his blog, 1000 Awesome Things.

It takes a special person to write a blog about life's simple pleasures during a time he calls the worst year of his life. Lots of folks would choose to wallow around in it for awhile, to lick their wounds and perhaps feel unmotivated. Not Neil Pasricha.

Neil chose to write a blog about everyday feel-good events. He chose to focus on all tiny details that he appreciated about his life. A couple of days ago, for example, his blog was about Acrobat Snoozing which is what he calls all the creative ways we have of pressing the snooze button in order to"... groggily dive back into the sleepy underworld for a few more minutes of lazy-boned bliss before waking up to get your day on." Then there was the blog about the joy of the person you are meeting being even later then you are, or the one about dropping your phone on the sidewalk and finding out that it is undamaged.

The awesome thing about Neil Pasricha's blog is that he has such a human, humble, quirky way of writing that people instantly relate. Readers of the blog can't help but to write comments or respond with their own awesome things. He says, "I turned the worst year of my life into my best year by focusing on the positive."

In an interview published in the Times Colonist, Victoria, B.C. (April 15, 2010 p.C7) Pasricha says, "Every day I try to find something that is awesome, free and universal to share, like popping bubble wrap, the smell of a bakery, or when a cashier opens up a new lane at a store."

Neil has touched a nerve. His blog attracts 40,000 people daily, he has won two Webby awards, and his Book of Awesome was published to rave reviews in April. People can't get enough of a good thing!

Whether he knows it or not Neil is gratOodling! He is taking note of the details of life that can tend to pass us by. He is encouraging us to capture those moments and he demonstrates that even at the worst of times, noticing the tiny things we have to be grateful for will drastically and positively affect our lives. You must check out www.1000awesomethings.com to it for yourself!

I-GratOodle-U Neil Pasricha!