Will Johnston: Living a balanced life

Will Johnston was quizmaster for St Thomas More Catholic School's Quiz Night, run by the 'Pink Ladies'.

Sometimes there are just 24-hour periods in your life where you look back and go: "Now THAT was an epic time!"

In my 30s I'm way better at stopping and appreciating what I'm doing at that very second, but also looking back immediately after I've done something and realising how cool it was. Not like in my teens/early 20s, where I'd go and do things that are crazy to me now on nights out and weekends and think nothing of it!

If you take a second right now and think back to your early 20s and that night you had out that time where THOSE things happened, and you did THAT, how are you not in jail, or hospital? Yeah, you know what you've done. Don't lie. We've all be there. But what happened in 20s stays in 20s.

So in a 24-hour period from last Friday night I did a couple of epic things that are really sticking with me, which I love!

Firstly, I was quizmaster for St Thomas More Catholic School's Quiz Night. It was run by the PTA (the Pink Ladies).

There was such a unity of the 100 or so people in that room. One of the board members stood up at the end of the night and talked about how that school has the feel of a rural school, even while being in an urban area.

That got me thinking about how important community is in a school environment, and how cool is it that there is a bunch of randoms (because that's what you are as a group of parents all being thrown together because of your offspring) who feel a closeness and importance in community that extends past just 'education'.

Plus they gave me beer and lollies while I was there.

Then I followed that by heading to a volcano covered in snow and slid down it on a board the next day. There were 5800 people on a bluebird Saturday up Whakapapa ski field alone!

So as mentioned, I helped out some primary school parents on Friday night, but the very next day I had to accost a mum and her two primary-aged kids so they would let me on the 'park n ride' bus up the mountain!

I was in a line that was being cut off as they closed the mountain because it was full, so I just nipped in behind her and asked if it was okay that I became part of her family for a bus ride.

What I love about New Zealand is that she found that hilarious and proceeded to introduce me to my new children and told them that if asked by the 'ticket man' that they are to call me 'dad'!

People often ask me if I have kids, now I can tell them I didn't think I did, but I just met two of them over the weekend on a bus ride up a mountain!

I'm a bad parent, I don't even know their names, I've contributed nothing to their upbringing ... except that when mum tells you to lie a little to other adults then you do as mum says. A solid life rule, I believe.

So in a 24-hour period I did something to help out some kids and their parents and then I corrupted some! I believe that is called a balanced life, right?

*Will Johnston is the local 9am-3pm host for The Hits Bay of Plenty 95FM. He's also a celebrant and MC.