Happiness is like fitness or housekeeping for me: something that takes energy and focus, does not come naturally and has been sadly neglected for a while.
So I am thinking of starting a happiness project. I first read about Gretchen Rubin's Happiness Project in a great article called 10 Ways to Be Happier (Liz brought Real Simple to our girls weekend. I brought Us Weekly). The author explains how she found herself in danger of wasting her life — her wonderful life — by not working on her happiness. She started a systematic study of happiness, a blog and has a book coming out next year. I have found her inspiring. We'll see how my project goes, but one of my first tasks is to make a list of ten things I am grateful for (thanks for the assignment, Liz), in no order:
• Jason's patience
• My sense of humor
• Our health
• My amazing friends
• The hope and energy driving the election
• The fall weather
• Good books
• Lucy's energy and intelligence
• My family (the one I was born into and the one I married into)
• Our safety (something I so take for granted I rarely lock a door)