Courtesy of Gretchen Rubin Moment of Happiness
Habit is necessary; it is the habit of having habits, of turning a trail into a rut, that must be incessantly fought against if one is to remain alive.
EDITH WHARTON
A Backward Glance
People pay for what they do, and still more, for what they have allowed themselves to become. And they pay for it very simply: by the lives they lead.
JAMES BALDWIN
No Name in the Street
We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.
KURT VONNEGUT
Mother Night
Most of us are experts at solving other people’s problems, but we generally solve them in terms of our own and the advice we give is seldom for other people but for ourselves.
NAN FAIRBROTHER
The House in the Country
There are years that ask questions and years that answer.
ZORA NEALE HURSTON
Their Eyes Were Watching God
As habit is more dependable than inspiration, continued learning is more dependable than talent.
OCTAVIA BUTLER
Bloodchild and Other Stories
I should say that happiness is being where one is and not wanting to be anywhere else.
MICHAEL FRAYN
A Landing on the Sun
Ah! There is nothing like staying home for real comfort.
JANE AUSTEN
Emma
Maybe I was reaching for authenticity through a funhouse mirror. I didn’t know. I just didn’t want to be who I was. It turns out that’s not a specific enough request.
R. ERIC THOMAS
Here For It
There is no substitute for the comfort supplied by the utterly taken-for-granted relationship.
IRIS MURDOCH
A Severed Head
It isn’t necessarily the great and famous beauty spots that we fall in love with. As with people, so with places: love is unforeseen, and we can all find ourselves affectionately attached to the minor and the less obvious.
MURIEL SPARK
“Tuscany by Chance”
from The Informed Air
There is something magical about beginnings, about the challenges that come with territory not yet conquered, about being the underdog. I think I’d far rather stand at the beginning of something, looking up, rather than at a summit, looking down.
JO MALONE
My Story
5 things making me happy
ONE
Finding an effective “treat” makes me happy. Treats and rewards aren’t the same. Rewards are earned; treats are not. We can give ourselves treats just because we want them. It’s important that our treats are healthy treats, however; I have a long list of healthy treats I can give myself as needed. What’s a treat you enjoy? I like beautiful scents, re-reading, and perfume.
TWO
I was fascinated to read about the work of an engineer who works on measuring and describing odors—I’d love to try the “Nasal Ranger” for myself.
THREE
This hilarious exchange between Reese Whiterspoon and Ina Garten reminds me of the truth that there’s no “right” way to approach resolutions. We each have to figure out the way that’s right for us—and what we’re aiming for! A good book makes one person happy; for someone else, it’s Sudoku.
FOUR
I love laughing—most people do. And I also see real value in incorporating humor into our lives. I was fascinated by this talk about how humor can strengthen relationships, boost creativity, and build resilience.
FIVE
Because I visit the Met every day, I’m always looking for exercises to help me look harder and see more. I loved this piece about photographer Stefan Draschan, who visits museums and takes photos when he sees visitors match up with the artworks in surprising ways. So fun to see.
5 things making me happy
ONE
On the Happier podcast, a listener shared that she sometimes talks to herself using her roller derby name, when she wants to help herself be more assertive. Elizabeth and I had fun choosing our derby names – “Lightning Lizzie” and “The Arrow.” What would your derby name be? (We found out later that many listeners assumed that we were talking about the Kentucky Derby!)
TWO
Having a dog brings me even more joy than I expected. On cold days (which we’ve had so many of lately) Barnaby likes to sit on a sunny windowsill.
THREE
I was happy to see that Happier is in good company on this list of “Best Mental Health” podcasts from Women’s Health Magazine.
FOUR
A listener sent me this helpful tip: if you’re interested in a book, artist, thinker, author, or subject, search the title/their name in your podcast app of choice. Then filter by “episodes” to see podcast episodes that mention your topic of choice. So easy, so exciting to have all that information on hand.
FIVE
We recently had a big snowstorm in New York City, and one thing I love about snow is the silence that often accompanies it. New York City can be a noisy place, and with less traffic and the muffling effects of snow, a snowstorm brings a beautiful silence.
5 things making me happy
ONE
I love reading personal manifestos (and I love writing them myself), and I was fascinated to read the manifesto of bestselling and Booker Prize-winning author Bernadine Evaristo.
TWO
On the newest episode of More Happier I finally got to tell Elizabeth about a tidying breakthrough that made me so happy.
THREE
Great news if you’ve been struggling to keep up a good exercise habit: Research shows that muscle can bounce back even after periods of inactivity.
FOUR
Are you working on #Rest22in22? This article has a lot of great suggestions. To get better sleep at night—make changes during the day.
FIVE
In ordinary times, I like to work in a coffee shop. I find the low buzz of noise helps me to focus. It’s not the same as IRL, of course, but this site provides a terrific “Café Library” of the ambient sounds from different types of cafes.
Small changes make a surprisingly big difference.
The fun part doesn’t come later; now is the fun part.
Enthusiasm is a form of social courage.
GRETCHEN RUBIN
