I remember a PSA on TV when I was kid with the catchy slogan “Stop on the right, the save someone’s life”.  This was a brilliant educational tactic. It urged you to do the right thing, while making you out to be the hero in a serious situation. It wasn’t “Stop on the right, because if you don’t you’re an idiot”. I think they should bring that campaign back. while most people still pull over to the right, they also love to use this opportunity to inch forward very slowly and gain an advantage when the ambulance has passed. It’s not a caution flag in a NASCAR race. It’s an ambulance trying to get somewhere important. Unless you are driving the ambulance, chances are good wherever you are going is less important. If your first instinct when you hear sirens behind you is anything but pulling over and coming to a full stop, then you are either selfish or an 87 year-old man with very poor hearing and are driving a massive Ford LTD at a speed roughly 15 km per hour below the speed limit. One of those two types of people can be excused. Is there another situation where you should be pulling over to the side and stopping? Yes. A funeral procession. They’re going to go honour someone that meant alot to many people. It’s the least you can do. Be a hero. Pull over. Don’t let it die.

It’s because you’re not sweating. Sidney Crosby sweats when he works out, and he’s in way better shape than you. If you’re not sweating, you haven’t done enough. There are few feelings as good as peeling off a soaked t-shirt after working out. It means you actually made some progress. If you can go back to the office after working out without showering and with your hair in the same shape as it was when you left the house in the morning, then you’re not working hard enough. C + C vowed they were going to make you sweat. Don’t let them down, and Don’t let it die.

The problem is, it’s the main ingredient that gets all the glory, not the crust. Without a great crust, a pie is nothing. It’s like Kurri without Gretzky, Hall without Oates, Thelma without Louise. I had a blueberry pie recently. Blueberry pie is usually in the same league as pizza… as in, even bad blueberry pie is still awesome. Problem was, the crust was so bad it was like I was eating a bunch of blueberries off a paper plate and had neglected to not eat the plate. Brutal. The beauty of the pie crust is that it so hard to get right. Many a daughter has tried to mirror the brilliant crust of her mother, and hasn’t been able to pull it off. It’s an amazing talent. Never give up on the pursuit of the perfect crust. It’s worth the agony, the failure, the trial and error. Anything worth doing is worth doing hundreds of times. In crust we trust. Don’t let it die.

The above stat is made up. It also might be true. Before video games, texting, and well before anyone had ever considered putting DVD’s in your vehicle… we had “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall”. We didn’t want a beer, we didn’t consider the idea of putting nearly 100 bottles of beer on a wall to be a stupid one, nor did we know at the time that when we did indeed one day have a beer we would not consider passing it around as that would be weird. What we did know was that song was somehow hilarious and finishing it left you with a real sense of satisfaction and only 15 more minutes to kill until you arrived at your field trip destination. Pass it around. Don’t let it die.

That doesn’t mean they’re not awesome though. Nothing cooler than the Mum with 5 sons playing hockey, making her winter jacket collars look like the lapel of a decorated war veteran. Those with the lone skating son would often compensate by simply wearing a larger button. They were like the Flava Flav version of hockey Mums. Who’s your Mommy? Don’t let it die.

They’re still putting on costumes and walking around with a bag asking for candy, but now they’re doing it in a mall or a community centre. In other places, kids simply walk around a church parking lot and adults give them candy out of the popped trunk of their car. Seriously. Walking around a mall with a bag while wearing cape or having your face painted as a cat can hardly be called Trick or Treating. I saw a kid in cape walking around the mall this summer, was he Trick or Treating? I’m not certain what inspired the changes to traditional Trick or Treating. As is usually the case, I’m sure it’s been seemed an issue of safety. Going to your Grandma’s place or a family friend is safe, and I know they don’t live in a mall. If safety issues are solved by kids receiving candy out of the trunk of a car, then I can only hope the brilliant mind behind the idea isn’t Chief of Police. In general, getting goods out of the trunk of a car is not a pattern you want to establish with your children. You could put forth the suggestion that it’s too cold to Trick or Treat, but that argument will be passionately swept aside by the thousands who had to wear their snowsuit under their Halloween costume. We never complained. In fact, consider yourself lucky. It’s warm in the mall, but it’s not Trick or Treating. Gap sells clothes, not candy. Don’t let it die.

Full disclosure: I used to take Air Bands (I think so highly of them I’ve decided to use caps on the first letters) very seriously. I even entered contests with my friends. Once, my friend Shane and I did a duet of Bryan Adams & Tina Turner’s “It’s Only Love” for a talent show. I did the Tina part, but we both dressed like Bryan Adams. This made zero sense, but for some reason seemed brilliant at the time. We worked super hard making a light show that consisted of one red bulb stuck through a pie plate. We got a roadie - our friend Stuart –  to plug in and unplug the light as quickly as he could over and over again during our song. We didn’t win. Perhaps it was the gender confusion, or the fact I had made my own guitar out of cardboard and a 2 x 4, then inexplicably painted the entire thing a disgusting brown that my Dad had recently used to paint our picnic table. Oh well, that’s not the point. The point is, Air Bands totally rule. Always have, always will. For Those About to Sorta Rock… We Salute You. Don’t let it die.

I don’t think the fort served any purpose other than being a fort. To be in fort was to be in paradise. You didn’t have to do anything. You were in one, and that was good enough. You never questioned why something was fun, it just was. Those were good times. Turn over a few chairs, cover any openings with sheets and pillows, crawl through it a bunch of times, accuse each other of breaking it, build it again, then put everything back. The possibilities were endless. May the fort be with you. Don’t let it die.

I live in a building with a ton of seniors. They still care. Lord knows how long it takes them to get ready to walk, very slowly, to Safeway to do their daily shop. They respect themselves enough to know that while they could get away with wearing a long coat over their matching sweatsuit, they wouldn’t dare try it. The ladies do their white hair, they put on a dress, some lipstick, if it’s windy they tie on a bonnet, they wear shoes – not runners… and off they go. All this for their one hour and once daily venture outside of their suite. There are men I know – real men –  in their late 80′s that would never leave the house without at least a button-up shirt, a vest, and a nice hat. Usually all of the above are brown, because that’s how they roll. If a daughter is stopping by to take them to dinner (usually at around 5:30pm) then a tie is a must. That’s class. Look at old pictures from hockey games. If you were lucky enough to head out to watch Rocket Richard play, the very least you could do was look like you cared about being there by dressing your best. Let’s go one step further… and show our respect for the grown man or woman who clearly isn’t laden with money but they’re trying their hardest to present themselves with some dignity by piecing together an outfit from Salvation Army or Value Village. They care. Not what others think, but what they think of themselves. This isn’t about brand names or money. It’s about class. You can’t buy class, but you can get it. Don’t let it die.

So give it up. While it would be nice to sit down on the crowded bus, I don’t think the 83 year-old lady with the cane and the shopping bags should have to stand. She’s paid her dues. Up you get junior. That’s just how life works. Always has, always will. Look around you. At a meeting, a party, the bus, the show, the church… if someone is standing and you are sitting, you know what to do. Give it up for giving up your seat. Don’t let it die.