Well this put a brake on my movements today! Can you imagine -- a rainy March day. We're so used to the drought-like conditions of this past year that I hardly know what to do with myself when it rains.
Lucky break for me -- a dry moment as I walk over to feed the animals.
Breakfast -- providing us with much needed warmth and color.
And then it rains and I read. And here's what I want to highlight today: an email I got from the New Yorker, previewing an article on, well, happiness. (You get these previews if you are a subscriber. I guess they think it makes you feel special to read it one day in advance of the masses.)
Here's the premise: you know the most popular college class ever offered at Yale? No, it's not about getting rich or conquering the world. It's taught by Laurie Santos who is a cognitive scientists and it is called Psychology and the Good Life. It is about being happy. Now, if you are having pangs of envy and wish you could sit in and soak up all that she has to offer -- well, perhaps you might at least pick up some of the books she recommends in the New Yorker article. I'll give you some titles. (I think she also has a podcast, so you can skip the Yale tuition and get a good synopsis of her theses there.)
One point she makes is that you and I have some agency when it comes to happiness. To quote her -- "the data bears out that there's a lot we can do to change our behaviors and thought patterns in order to feel a little bit happier." I know you're skeptical. I bet you're thinking -- you don't know how lousy/boring/stressed/disgusting/crazy my life is. What's a Yalie with a cushy job got to say that I haven't thought of myself? (All part of our indignation at the idea that elites have any answers to anything at all.) Personally, I like science and smart people who can point to mistakes I'm making in life, so I noted at least her suggested readings and some of them sounded pretty good to me. Like, The Power of Fun, by Catherine Price.
In her summary of this book, Santos writes -- How many of us feel as if we’re languishing, just doing the same old, same old? And, even when we finally have some leisure time, we don’t do things that are actually fun. We might do something easy, like scroll through TikTok, but that often leaves us feeling gross. Sounds like you? Ha! Maybe it's time to pick up a copy of the Price book.
Then there's The Book of Delights by Ross Gay, where he describes something totally pleasing and satisfying each and every day. (Does that sound like Ocean? Heck, I don't mind him borrowing my premise!) Gay's book suggests we need to refocus our attention on the good, even as our natural inclination is to see the negative. I'm in total agreement. I would guess that his book is a float through all those unexpected sweet beauties and pleasures that you pass by every day without giving them a second thought. You might get some ideas on what to look out for.
I'll mention a third book because I actually purchased this one some time ago -- it's called The Stoic Challenge and I'll say this much -- it teaches you how to put some humor and resilience back into your life even if it is despicable and full of minor and major annoyances. (I have yet to read it, a fact that suggests that the pathway to happiness is filled with major distractions!)
Okay. The clouds are swirling, the thunder is rumbling. Time to pick up Snowdrop. (Just the girl today -- the boy seems to have come down with whatever she had earlier last week.)
It's one of those days when staying inside seems so warm and cozy...
In the evening the rain turns to wet snow. I'm glad the calendar calls this the last day of winter, because otherwise I may have thought we're in the thick of it. I am so happy to have soup for supper!
with love...
