The coupon
Posted on July 5th, 2008 at 1:53 am by Aussie

I was waiting for the bus one morning and I noticed the following posted at the bus stop. It says, “Please take one.”

Please take one

So, I moved closer to see what the offer was. And the little coupons hanging at the bottom were the following.

Coupon

It says, “This coupon entitles you to: One free day to do anything you want. What will it be?”

So,I took one and then I went to the park to relax and enjoy that day’s brilliant sunshine.

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70 Comments »

haha :p
what the hell!

Comment by James — July 10, 2008 @ 4:15 am


the world needs more things like this

Comment by anonymous — July 10, 2008 @ 7:54 pm


Indeed it does, anonymous.

Comment by Aussie — July 10, 2008 @ 8:20 pm


I usually like quirky things like this but that’s just dumb.

Comment by MisterPD — July 12, 2008 @ 3:28 pm


@MisterPD, thank you for your comment.

I checked your blog and I noticed that you are still a teenager. Nothing wrong with that, of course. However, when you are a bit older and have to work for a living and do all the adult things we have to do, the sign will make more sense to you and you won’t think of it as dumb. Come back and look at it again in about 10 years or so :)

Comment by Aussie — July 12, 2008 @ 4:10 pm


Heh, MisterPD was owned. That’s a funny sign though,but if I told my boss that… Well, she’d prolly fire me, lol

Comment by Master_Taco — July 12, 2008 @ 6:03 pm


Thanks Aussie. I agree with anonymous, this happens far too little. I too, like MasterPD am a teenager, but I think that an idea like this is sweet, and could be considered ‘romantic’. Next time, Aussie, take 2, and save one for a rainy day, the coupon doesn’t have an expiry date :)

Comment by quincy — July 13, 2008 @ 7:53 am


Nice pictures. Very funny and amusing. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Keep it up man. Thumbs up to you :-)

Comment by Editor, The SciTech Journal — July 14, 2008 @ 9:41 pm


Very nice.
I wish I would find one of those!

Comment by Gonzo — July 23, 2008 @ 10:47 am


god what kind of overly serious adults are you?How about seeing the teenager as an example.Will the world stop turning if you call in sick and spend a day in the park?I do that on average once a year and its very relaxing if you ahve a stressful job.I think its a nice idea that at least makes you think.What would you do? And why dont you just do it?

Comment by henny — July 23, 2008 @ 12:22 pm


My point was not that nobody would want to “do anything you want” for one day. I just think they could have picked a better means of conveying the idea.

And you must all feel grand being able to figure out that I’m a teenager. That makes a world of difference as to the relevance of my opinions, doesn’t it? Then again, this is the internet, so nobody gives a shit anyway, but I’m not ashamed or trying to hide that I’m young.

But don’t let me stop you from going to my blog and telling me that I’ve been pwned. We can all see that I’m just an immature little twit in comparison to you big, adult people.

:)

Comment by MisterPD — July 23, 2008 @ 1:10 pm


I put that up there! Thanks for taking it man.

Comment by Stop Smoking — July 23, 2008 @ 2:31 pm


Oh,shut up MisterPD.

This isn’t meant to be taken so seriously.

You’re arguing with someone on the INTERNET for God’s sake.

Grow up.

Comment by Nobody — July 23, 2008 @ 3:50 pm


I would totally take one and go on that killing spree i’ve always wanted to, and when the cops finally caught me, i’d be like. “Talk to the coupon…”

Comment by kevan — July 23, 2008 @ 3:54 pm


@MisterPD, I want to basically apologize for my comment getting people all worked up against you. I never meant to say that teenagers don’t matter. I simply wanted to point out that considering one’s point of view, the sign will mean something or nothing to him/her.

All adults were once teenagers and all teenagers will one day be adults so everyone please stop talking to MisterPD in such a bad way. I hope this post will inspire people not start another online flame war.

Cheers!

Comment by Aussie — July 23, 2008 @ 4:17 pm


to Nobody– Did you read what you typed before you hit the ’submit comment’ button? Talk about the “pot calling the kettle black”

to aussie — kudos on the retraction of/apology for the “teenager” comment. Being a teenager is NOT easy. They have just as much pressure, if not more, on them, than many “adults”. Would you really want to relive those years? It’s not all fun and games. Of course, situations differ from person to person. Everyone, at every age, needs a break from “life” every once in a while.

to misterpd– you rock dude

Comment by mnkyfk — July 23, 2008 @ 6:04 pm


“You’re arguing with someone on the INTERNET for God’s sake.” …says the person who is feeding right into it by telling someone to shut up and grow up… Real nice… Anyway, it’s a cute idea… but I agree, it’s kind of dumb. Sure everyone *wants* to “do anything you want for a day”, but, hate to tell you, those coupons aren’t fucking redeemable, anywhere. When you randomly blow into work naked and drunk because you have some “coupon” that says you “can”, give it to your boss and see how well that, uh, goes over.

Comment by Ally — July 23, 2008 @ 11:14 pm


Ally,
Nobody said it was redeemable. It is supposed to inspire people to have a little spontaneity in their lives and do something for themselves every once in a while.

Comment by Jasmin — July 23, 2008 @ 11:43 pm


@ MisterPD

Aussie’s comments weren’t saying your opinions don’t matter because you’re young. He’s (she’s?) merely making a point that adults have harder lives, filled with more mundane and dull things like work, everyday for roughly 8 hours, not counting all the work many people take home to do, or the jobs they have to do once they get home like cook and clean.

If you actually look at some of the adults in your life, you’ll see they probably don’t have all that much time to themselves. So this kind of thing is aimed at adults, trying to remind them that they don’t have to constantly work. And that is a real issue. No one looks down on you for not quite understanding it. Experience is better than conjecture.

And anyone who makes comments about being to serious on the internet, you’re a fool. Just because your sitting down and not actually seeing people doesn’t mean you’re not talking to people. Exchanging ideas isn’t affected by the means of communication.

Comment by Bobo the Wise — July 24, 2008 @ 12:07 am


I’m 15 in three days and I found this delightful. I love eccentric little nonsense things like this. They serve no purpose other than to make you think and lighten bad moods. ^^

See, not all teenagers are closed minded and can’t appreciate things at face value. >_<

Comment by Schemilix — July 24, 2008 @ 4:13 am


For Christ’s sake people. Stop reacting on MisterPD’s comment. No one cares about your, or his opinion. Just look at the picture.

Comment by steefje — July 24, 2008 @ 6:44 am


Thing is i’d probably try this at work. Just go in a day late and say ‘its cool i had a coupon!’. Take the fuckers to court. Bosses I mean.

Im totally cereal.

Comment by Charlie — July 24, 2008 @ 7:06 am


Unbelievable. People griping, bitching and arguing over who is right about this post. Obviously those who are willing to have an online argument or gripe and bitch have no concept of what the post was about in the first place.

So, I will make it clear for those who have their heads in dark places. The post essentially says….LIGHTEN UP!!!!! Why so serious about this? It was just something nice to see possibly on a bad day. What a relief it is to see that there are still people who are willing to stick their necks out with a nice small token of positive feedback. And that’s what it really is.

For those who said that it was stupid or whatever, lighten up. It’s just a nice gesture. You do not have to do it. You should get it that it isn’t really redeemable anywhere except in your mind. But that’s where most people live anyway. So, what the heck. If you don’t like this and don’t want ot do it, fine. Just don’t rain on everyone else’s parade. And you could be really nice and keep your dark and negative opinions to yourself for once. That would be nice too.

Comment by Jaz — July 24, 2008 @ 11:52 am


As is proven by my name, I have opinions. Young or old, everyone has them. Who ever put that notice on the telephone pole had hopes of smiles or at least someone thinking to pause and look around. It was a thoughtful gift to those of us who feel pressured to rush. Youth is not something to be ignored or put down, we were all young once. As we grow, our points of view do change. At least this person can read and express the thoughts in his mind. I say HOORAY for his intelligence, and the guts to express himself to others. Silence can be nice, but humans tend to learn by the noisy happenings in life. :)

Comment by Two Ton Tilly — July 24, 2008 @ 5:07 pm


Aw. I think that’s really lovely =)
I might do something like that some day.

Comment by Tamira — July 25, 2008 @ 8:59 am


@Schemilix

We share the same birthday :) I’m 17 on Sunday! Love the idea behind the coupons, people need to lighten up and relax a little every now and then.

Comment by jonny — July 25, 2008 @ 9:54 am


@ everyone–
I like the discussion that’s occuring here- the teen thing especially is interesting because it could be taken as offensive or as a different insight into things.
And it makes sense because the point a person is at in their life affects the way they view things; so while a teen-younger, maturing, most likely unbound by large amount of responsibility may view this as silly, someone later in life, who’s been through it all and has been burdened with responsibility may very much appreciate it. I think anyone should be able to appreciate it. And I think EVERYONE should take a free day to refresh themselves. Whether you’re 18, 81 or anywhere in between, taking a minute to step back from your daily trials, tribulations, responsibilities, and drama can do a WORLD of good. =)

Thank you posting this picture =D

Comment by Leighann — July 25, 2008 @ 11:31 am


A funny sign that has only positive intentions turns into an online fistfight. God bless the internet. LOL :)

Comment by Shockeye — July 25, 2008 @ 1:18 pm


…I know! Let’s just stop talking about all these stressful and hurtful opinions, and talk about something nice! Like puppies! Rainbows!…or the god damn picture that’s the main point of this post. Then again, I suppose arguing online and missing the point is fun too

Comment by Someone — July 25, 2008 @ 7:44 pm


I agree with the needing more of this type of thing in the world. I like the idea a lot!

Comment by S R — July 25, 2008 @ 8:47 pm


Fighting on the internet is like competing in the special olympics.
Even if you win, you’re still retarded.

Calm down everybody

Comment by . — July 25, 2008 @ 9:48 pm


Nice picture by the way, I enjoyed it

Comment by . — July 25, 2008 @ 9:49 pm


i saw something like this once, it just said “FREE PIECES OF PAPER!” and they were all blank slips of paper at the bottom

Comment by Chris — July 26, 2008 @ 4:34 am


I think I am going to copy this idea.

Comment by Avatar — July 26, 2008 @ 1:29 pm


(looks around, furtively)(takes them all)(scampers off)

Comment by gluefish — July 27, 2008 @ 12:27 am


This is a nice reminder that everyone deserves to be foolish and dumb and non-sense for a day. Just don’t get yourself fired, though.

:D

Comment by Rai — July 27, 2008 @ 4:37 pm


haha thats funnyy!

Comment by RPO — July 29, 2008 @ 6:18 am


Kind of random, but nice message.

Comment by Recruiting Services — July 29, 2008 @ 12:49 pm


I love it. So fresh.

Comment by Advertising Photographer — August 1, 2008 @ 5:38 am


I should prints some out and post them around here.

Comment by ads — August 1, 2008 @ 5:39 am


[...] The Coupon I am seriously considering doing this around my own town and seeing how people react.  It’s a wonderful idea. [...]

Pingback by StumbleUpon « Muse — August 1, 2008 @ 7:02 pm


funny, thanks for sharing.

Comment by paresh — August 2, 2008 @ 5:12 am


Bobo the wise-
I am a teenager. I work 8 hours a day and go to school full time. So in my opinion adults don’t really have a harder life then I do. I cook and clean and do everything that you probably do during your normal day.

anyway I think this coupon is a nice idea :) thanks for the post

Comment by Jess — August 3, 2008 @ 11:36 am


Jesus guys, the people taking “sides” of the arguers (MisterPD and Aussie) don’t seem to notice that they aren’t actually arguing. Random ass people who aren’t even part of the conversation they’re having are getting more worked up about it than they are. It’s sad that people will throw themselves into this and start a war out of a conversation. It’s like me debating with one of my friends about something, then suddenly everyone around us starts picking sides and screaming at each other until it transforms into a massive fight.

I know it’s pretty much over now, I’m just commenting on what has already happened.

Comment by SiriS — August 5, 2008 @ 9:31 am


I’d have taken the rest of those stubs. If I can do whatever I want for that day, who’s gonna stop me.

Comment by Payton — August 6, 2008 @ 10:47 pm


Jess,
You have a job, good. You go to school, better. You cook and clean, better still.

Are you living at home? Do you have to make rent every month? Car payments? Buy shoes for your kid for the third time this year? Have you ever been laid off and worried if you are too old to be hired at another job? Been through a bitter divorce? Had your kids taken away by a judge? Been harassed by bill collectors? Had your kid call you from jail? Been hospitalized in the middle of the night with chest pains? Raised a child with a serious medical disorder?

Life can get ugly, and as we grow, we find our responsibilities multiply, we become parents, homeowners, wage slaves, unemployed, tax-payers, shop-keepers. We have to worry about having enough money to retire, and health enough to enjoy it. We forget when we used to drive 200 miles to go to a certain special ice-cream stand, or camp out in the rain for concert tickets, or go to the beach in the dead of night and wait for the sunrise. I haven’t been a teenager for 30 years – and the farther away we get from it, the dimmer our recollections are.

Signs like this remind of that we used to do crazy things, just for the sheer hell of it; that there was a time to cut classes, dance all night, and howl at the moon. You are not wrong, if anything at your age you need it more than we do, because you should be doing all those things. You just don’t know you don’t need permission. We know, but we’ve forgotten; signs like this remind us of that.

And I like it, too :-) And I’m going to put some of them up around here.

Comment by Phred — August 26, 2008 @ 2:41 pm


Well, I am 40, and I think it is childish exactly BECAUSE I am an adult with responsibilities…if I selfishly use this coupon, who suffers? My wife and children.

Clearly placed by wealthy liberal 20 year old.

Comment by James — August 29, 2008 @ 7:18 pm


James, you can always take your wife and children with you to the park instead of just working on a Saturday.

Cheers!

Comment by Aussie — August 29, 2008 @ 11:07 pm


Yeah James, because we all know the only people who could possibly afford an impromptu day off of work are wealthy liberal 20 year olds.

Your wife and kids won’t die if you take a day off of work. Unless your job is to keep your wife and kids alive on a daily basis, in which case, I stand corrected.

Comment by Bob — September 9, 2008 @ 8:58 pm


Seeing this brought a smile to my face :) . Hope you all have a good day <3

Comment by Random — September 19, 2008 @ 6:10 pm


I dunno, I think it’s cute. It makes you realize just how little we actually take time out for ourselves. Stop and think…I think that’s the point people ;)

Comment by Nathalie — October 16, 2008 @ 11:05 pm


he shoulda went and robbed a bank or something then just walked up to a cop and been like what bitch free day to do whatever cant do nothin!

Comment by dave — March 19, 2009 @ 4:08 pm


Dave, you are missing the point of this post!

Comment by Aussie — March 19, 2009 @ 4:16 pm


Lol @ all the people saying you should take this coupon and rob people/kill people. You guys truly are retarded.

Nice post :o .

Comment by soar — March 20, 2009 @ 6:51 pm


I took one and fucking killed a guy. now I’m in jail. thanks, cardboard coupon

Comment by asdf — March 26, 2009 @ 3:30 pm


@asdf, you need professional help.

Comment by Aussie — March 26, 2009 @ 3:52 pm


@phred et al – that’s a mighty list of woes you have all come up with about why your life is so much harder than everyone else’s. you know what? life is hard. everyone has their struggles. you may look at your own long life of ups and downs and spit on someone else because you think they haven’t suffered enough, but in the end you’re just feeling sorry for yourself and looking for someone to whine to. nobody’s experience on this planet is perfect and rosy. far from it. so instead of playing a game of “who has the most battle scars,” we should be taking what we have learned and using it to try to ease the suffering of others, regardless of their age or your own severely limited and biased view of what they deal with.

to me, the flier speaks more specifically to the cages we put ourselves in. you may wish you could have been a magician or a circus performer. you may wish you could tell that girl you’re in love with her. you may simply want to find a beach, lay down, and get a wicked sunburn while reading your favorite book cover-to-cover. the point is that we encumber and sabotage ourselves from being truly happy. we already know what will make us happy, but it’s up to us to have the courage, romanticism, or sheer bellyfire to shed our (un)comfortable, routine conformities and actually do them.

i think the most touching part of the whole thing is the “Please take one.” please… for crying out loud people, -please- learn to let yourselves enjoy your lives. please. before it’s too late. the whole world would be better for it.

Comment by jp — March 31, 2009 @ 11:24 pm


@phred…i have had quite a few of those things happen to me and am currently dealing with a large pile of all of them (unemployed, kids w/ mom instead of me, selling all my sh!% to pay rent for me and my GF, finding change to feed my dog…etc, etc…) and still finding time to smell the roses and smile…life is only as hard as you make it for yourself…too bogged down to enjoy?…blame yourself…you aren’t a drone….you’re just acting like one…everyone take a deep breath, exhale…and if that doesn’t work….well, there’s always suicide:)

Comment by jbill — April 16, 2009 @ 5:25 pm


Why would you go to the park when there is a perfectly good internet to surf!?

Comment by saxquiz — May 10, 2009 @ 12:32 pm


cool.. im gonna make one of those and put it up

Comment by Jon — June 9, 2009 @ 4:24 pm


wow. i agree with jp. please for crying out loud people.. take one.
and i personally don’t see this whole conversation as a completely negative thing. when you watch and listen to other people do the same things that you do..u realize how silly u actually are when you do it. reminder to self-everyone sees things on different levels. it creates individuality..

Comment by suzy — June 11, 2009 @ 12:41 pm


A day off. Hey I would imagine that this was aimed at ANYONE who is having a rough time, whether it be at work, school, or whatever…I think it’s funny when people get so worked up over trivial stuff. I think that life is a big experiment. Everything that comes at you, you need to look at it as an experiment, on how to deal with stuff. Try new and different ways of dealing, maybe take a day off from taking ourselves so seriously.

Comment by Jezebel — June 13, 2009 @ 9:13 pm


FYI, that idea comes from a book called The Guerilla Art Kit by Keri Smith. If you appreciated the idea, you should look into the book.

Comment by Morgan — June 18, 2009 @ 9:49 am


Really cute idea. : ) I wish I saw some of these around.

Comment by Sarah — June 19, 2009 @ 6:06 pm


this picture and the discussion it spawned are awesome. im just sitting here in my bath with my laptop on a chair and thinking about life. i live my life like this everyday. i have fun, go surf, do whatever makes me happy. some people think im crazy and at 32 i have forgone a career or family or house or the other things that people think that i should have. but on the other hand i try to wake up everyday and try to do what makes me happy. i have had many jobs and i have moved around quite a bit. my love for freedom has cost me stability and i have put myself in situations where i had to ask for help from my family or friends due to my devil may care attitude. im not ridiculously crazy, but when a job seems like more pain then its worth then im not afraid to say “hasta la vista,” or just take a day off decompressing at the beach.

what im trying to say first of all is that the discussion on this thread shows how awesome the interent is and how we can all learn from each other. the other thing im trying to say is it really is great to live your life this way. i live in america and california and to many people around me the dollar is king. they sacrifice everything for money and status and career but they dont seem any happier in the end. then they buy all this shit and have to worry about it getting stolen. i just take my old van and drive down to the beach with the one surfboard i own and surf in the sun and then i go eat a veggie burrito and im on top of the world. simplify your life and enjoy the simple things. life is simple but we want to make is so hard. dont worship money or things or status, they are illusions. the only things that matter are the friends and family you love and the fun times you all have together. life is a fun adventure, try to live it that way.

josh, from the central coast of cal.

Comment by MBSS — June 27, 2009 @ 7:19 pm


Exelent MBSS, I’m reading the discussion to, i would say a couple of things… but you know I don’t manage english very good, I’m from Argentina. Anyways I can say that I captured the idea, I think it goes in a very poetic way you know? the problem here is that the people don’t stop looking for the racional explanation for this… but it’s beautiful, and we all need a break sometimes (but not all of us figure it out) so the paper is a great idea :) very nice. Oh, by the way, I’m 17.

Comment by Melanie — July 1, 2009 @ 1:22 am


nice choice *thumbs up*

Comment by God — July 2, 2009 @ 6:08 pm


The varying opinions here remind me of what Dumbledore tells Harry Potter in the very first book about the Mirror of Erised. He tells Harry that the happiest man in the world will look into the mirror and see himself exactly as he is. The sign is what you make of it. If you didn’t feel that you needed a kick in the seat to take a day for yourself, you’d think the sign was silly or pointless.

Comment by Laurie — July 15, 2009 @ 4:12 am


teenagers have very little power in their lives and neither do adults. the only difference there is financial freedom. it’s all about perceived control. wouldn’t it be nice to just chill on your own terms instead of when the school bell rings or when it comes time to punch your time card? aren’t we all tired of being led around like cattle? good god y’all society sucks ass with a straw. but there’s no right way to do life. even those at the top are controlled by the system. people are just growing increasingly frustrated in the age of industrial reproduction of seeing the same old thing time and again passed off in a new way. we’re beginning to realize that there’s no escaping the system, or the man, as he is a victim as well. freedom is a myth and we’re slowly realizing it. that’s why we put out things like this. just one more way to deny our fate, or to hope for a better tomorrow. individuals rarely have any concept of this but the idea is so deeply ingrained in the collective unconscious by the betrayal from the power we place our trust in that we are unable to be truly content with our paths. we are frustrated by the simple fact that nothing is certain, and no matter how much shit we buy or food we eat or drugs we take we know somewhere within ourselves that the holes in ourselves can never be filled. ain’t life a bitch?

Comment by molotov connoiseur — August 6, 2009 @ 8:14 pm


MAN….I picked a bad day to give up sniffing glue!

Comment by chris — September 9, 2009 @ 7:28 pm


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