Dare Day
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”
~Helen Keller
There are folks who dare to go bare, those that challenge others with the dreaded double or triple-dog dare, goof-balls that gamble with the laws of nature and gravity by becoming stuntmen or daredevils, and yet even more who risk their dignity by playing the ever-embarrassing “Truth-or-Dare.”
I’m sure everyone has played the well-known game at some time or another. But in the event that you haven’t: the challenger begins by asking another player "Truth or Dare?" If the player answers, “Truth,” then the challenger gets to ask the opponent an embarrassing question that’s then answered truthfully in front of the other players. If, however, the questioned player answers, “Dare,” then the challenging player gets to “dare” the opponent to do something ridiculous, stupid, embarrassing, or dangerous - sort of the at-home version of the TV show, “Jackass.”
On Dare Day - this annual occasion to be audacious - take the initiative to confront your family, friends and colleagues with pranks, challenges, and silly antics to make this holiday especially daring. You might begin by daring a friend to draw a moustache on someone while they’re sleeping, taunt the mailman to brush your teeth for you, provoke your cousin to lick the armpits of an acquaintance, defy your neighbor to drink tequila out of someone else’s navel, urge your housekeeper to sport a toilet paper turban, goad your accountant to wear his underpants inside-out, or challenge your secretary to yodel.
Of course, “Truth of Dare” is only a game and should be done in the spirit of good fun. But in a more serious way, whether dared or daring or both, over the course of history/her-story, there have been individuals who have exhibited mind-blowing courage and true grit toward a variety of challenges. Luckily for us, their daring made a significant difference to society.
Take for example the daring Harriet Tubman. She was born into slavery and by the age of nine was used as the plantation nurse and housekeeper. Later in life she escaped slavery, and prior to the Civil War, led other slaves to freedom through The Underground Railroad. She actually fought for the Union, and after the war she fought for Women’s Suffrage. This courageous African-American woman, who by all accounts was not a yodeler or ever wore a toilet paper turban, was nicknamed “Moses” because, at great risk to her own life and limb, she dared to free her people.
Another great woman who dared to fight the establishment was Rosa Parks, a housekeeper, insurance agent, and seamstress, who is best known for her 1955 Montgomery, Alabama bus ride. As a woman of color, Ms. Parks chose not to give up her bus-seat for a white passenger (then a colossal act of bravery and civil disobedience) thereby instigating the Montgomery Bus Boycott - one of the largest movements against racial segregation in history. (Imagine how different things would have been had she dared to draw a moustache on the bus driver instead!)
And how about Indira Gandhi? When Great Britain released its control over India, and the Indian Empire was divided into India and Pakistan, India erupted into violence. Prior to the civil unrest, Indira served as her father's hostess and housekeeper (anyone recognizing a pattern yet?). Yet at this critical moment in her country’s history, she stepped up, took control of her father's mansion, and assisted him with political matters. Together, father and daughter worked towards peace.
Unlike motorcyclist and daredevil Evel Knievel - Tubman, Parks and Gandhi never dared to do anything as revolutionary as jumping over the dancing fountains at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. Admittedly, however, while none of their brave actions required a Harley, they were, nonetheless, inspired. But in the event that they were ever closeted “motor-heads” - being the fine housekeepers that they all were at one time in their lives - my good guess is that they would never have suffered the indignity of motor oil stains on their driveways or garage floors left by their “hogs”(if they had them.) They’d have dared to do something about them too.
In the event that such stains plague your garage or driveway, just muster up the courage to sprinkle baking soda over those greasy spots and allow the powder to absorb them. I then triple-dog dare you to add a bit of water to the baking soda to form a paste and then, if you have the guts, proceed to brush or scrub the mess up. The truth? - the baking soda should take care of most of the oily spills or stains. But if not? Ehhh—you’ll get over it—it’s only a garage floor.
By comparison, messed up floors are small potatoes. Now go out and do something really daring.
Michael De Jong, is the author of “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing,” (www.zencleansing.com) produced by Joost Elffers Design and published in 2007 by Sterling Publishers. He lives in Jersey City with his partner, dog and three goldfish, all of which benefit from his natural cleaning techniques. De Jong, who cleaned apartments in New York City while working as a fine artist, began researching and inventing many of the recipes in “CLEAN” because of his own allergic reactions to commercial cleaning products, and he is continually experimenting with safe, effective and eco-friendly alternatives. Raised in the mid-West by a family that valued the environment and re-cycled before it was fashionable, his quest for non-toxic solutions comes naturally to him. He is currently writing a companion series of “CLEAN” books dealing with such topics as the body, first aid, organization, and food, as well as posting a weekly blog on Hearst Publishing’s first online magazine, “The Daily Green” (www.thedailygreen.com). De Jong is also “Ask Mr. Green” for NBC-Universal’s new eco-website www.GreenIsUniversal.com where you can send him your questions about housecleaning problems. “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing” can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores across the country or on-line at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com. “CLEAN” is also an online course about “zen-cleansing” at Latitude U (www.LatitudeU.com).
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”
~Helen Keller
There are folks who dare to go bare, those that challenge others with the dreaded double or triple-dog dare, goof-balls that gamble with the laws of nature and gravity by becoming stuntmen or daredevils, and yet even more who risk their dignity by playing the ever-embarrassing “Truth-or-Dare.”
I’m sure everyone has played the well-known game at some time or another. But in the event that you haven’t: the challenger begins by asking another player "Truth or Dare?" If the player answers, “Truth,” then the challenger gets to ask the opponent an embarrassing question that’s then answered truthfully in front of the other players. If, however, the questioned player answers, “Dare,” then the challenging player gets to “dare” the opponent to do something ridiculous, stupid, embarrassing, or dangerous - sort of the at-home version of the TV show, “Jackass.”
On Dare Day - this annual occasion to be audacious - take the initiative to confront your family, friends and colleagues with pranks, challenges, and silly antics to make this holiday especially daring. You might begin by daring a friend to draw a moustache on someone while they’re sleeping, taunt the mailman to brush your teeth for you, provoke your cousin to lick the armpits of an acquaintance, defy your neighbor to drink tequila out of someone else’s navel, urge your housekeeper to sport a toilet paper turban, goad your accountant to wear his underpants inside-out, or challenge your secretary to yodel.
Of course, “Truth of Dare” is only a game and should be done in the spirit of good fun. But in a more serious way, whether dared or daring or both, over the course of history/her-story, there have been individuals who have exhibited mind-blowing courage and true grit toward a variety of challenges. Luckily for us, their daring made a significant difference to society.
Take for example the daring Harriet Tubman. She was born into slavery and by the age of nine was used as the plantation nurse and housekeeper. Later in life she escaped slavery, and prior to the Civil War, led other slaves to freedom through The Underground Railroad. She actually fought for the Union, and after the war she fought for Women’s Suffrage. This courageous African-American woman, who by all accounts was not a yodeler or ever wore a toilet paper turban, was nicknamed “Moses” because, at great risk to her own life and limb, she dared to free her people.
Another great woman who dared to fight the establishment was Rosa Parks, a housekeeper, insurance agent, and seamstress, who is best known for her 1955 Montgomery, Alabama bus ride. As a woman of color, Ms. Parks chose not to give up her bus-seat for a white passenger (then a colossal act of bravery and civil disobedience) thereby instigating the Montgomery Bus Boycott - one of the largest movements against racial segregation in history. (Imagine how different things would have been had she dared to draw a moustache on the bus driver instead!)
And how about Indira Gandhi? When Great Britain released its control over India, and the Indian Empire was divided into India and Pakistan, India erupted into violence. Prior to the civil unrest, Indira served as her father's hostess and housekeeper (anyone recognizing a pattern yet?). Yet at this critical moment in her country’s history, she stepped up, took control of her father's mansion, and assisted him with political matters. Together, father and daughter worked towards peace.
Unlike motorcyclist and daredevil Evel Knievel - Tubman, Parks and Gandhi never dared to do anything as revolutionary as jumping over the dancing fountains at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. Admittedly, however, while none of their brave actions required a Harley, they were, nonetheless, inspired. But in the event that they were ever closeted “motor-heads” - being the fine housekeepers that they all were at one time in their lives - my good guess is that they would never have suffered the indignity of motor oil stains on their driveways or garage floors left by their “hogs”(if they had them.) They’d have dared to do something about them too.
In the event that such stains plague your garage or driveway, just muster up the courage to sprinkle baking soda over those greasy spots and allow the powder to absorb them. I then triple-dog dare you to add a bit of water to the baking soda to form a paste and then, if you have the guts, proceed to brush or scrub the mess up. The truth? - the baking soda should take care of most of the oily spills or stains. But if not? Ehhh—you’ll get over it—it’s only a garage floor.
By comparison, messed up floors are small potatoes. Now go out and do something really daring.
Michael De Jong, is the author of “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing,” (www.zencleansing.com) produced by Joost Elffers Design and published in 2007 by Sterling Publishers. He lives in Jersey City with his partner, dog and three goldfish, all of which benefit from his natural cleaning techniques. De Jong, who cleaned apartments in New York City while working as a fine artist, began researching and inventing many of the recipes in “CLEAN” because of his own allergic reactions to commercial cleaning products, and he is continually experimenting with safe, effective and eco-friendly alternatives. Raised in the mid-West by a family that valued the environment and re-cycled before it was fashionable, his quest for non-toxic solutions comes naturally to him. He is currently writing a companion series of “CLEAN” books dealing with such topics as the body, first aid, organization, and food, as well as posting a weekly blog on Hearst Publishing’s first online magazine, “The Daily Green” (www.thedailygreen.com). De Jong is also “Ask Mr. Green” for NBC-Universal’s new eco-website www.GreenIsUniversal.com where you can send him your questions about housecleaning problems. “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing” can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores across the country or on-line at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com. “CLEAN” is also an online course about “zen-cleansing” at Latitude U (www.LatitudeU.com).
Please consider the environment.
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