Five Things Making Me Happy (The Year of the Rabbit / “Succession”)

Hello,

I’ve learned many things from my daily visits to the Met. One of the most important lessons? Appreciate the things I love, and don’t take them for granted.

On a recent visit, I discovered that, due to a major renovation, I won’t be able to see my favorite Cypriot statuettes, with their quirky expressiveness, until 2026. What would I do if, one day, I discovered that I’d have to wait for years to view my favorite object, God Horus Protecting King Nectanebo II? I’d think, “I wish I’d visited it more often when I had the chance.”

Onward,

5 Things Making Me Happy

Speaking of the Met—January 22 marked the Lunar New Year and the start of the Year of the Rabbit. At the Met, one gallery features several artworks portraying the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, and the display always highlights the objects related to the particular year. Here, the Rabbit figure is pulled forward.

My old friend A. J. Jacobs wrote about “Trying to Live a Day Without Plastic” in The New York Times. In this piece, as usual, he manages to be hilarious, educational, and convincing—I laughed out loud, and I also vowed to tackle single-use plastic in my own life.

One thing I love about my neighborhood is that I often see the filming of a TV show or movie. Years ago, it was my sister Elizabeth who was working on a TV show, and I got to visit the set. Here, I saw the crew shooting an episode of Succession—a show I love. When the new season airs, I’ll look for this location.

I love to see my “Four Tendencies” personality framework at work in the world, and two thoughtful listeners sent me these examples of effective signage. In the first sign, “Be a mensch” is an appeal to identity, which resonates with Rebels. “So others can work in” works for Questioners, because it supplies a reason and appeals to efficiency, and also Obligers, because it’s a reminder about others’ expectations. For Upholders, the clear message works. The sign about life jackets (found along the Rappahannock River) also appeals to multiple Tendencies.

As I write about in my forthcoming book Life in Five Senses, I have a particular love for the sense of smell and its power to evoke memories and associations. I haven’t read Spare myself, but in a book review, I was interested to learn that Prince Harry associated the scent of “First” with his mother Princess Diana and “Eau Sauvage” with his father King Charles. The next time I visit a store that sells fragrances, I’m going to sample them both myself.

Updates

As a bonus for pre-ordering Life in Five Senses, I created an exclusive five-video series with quick, easy experiments you can use to explore your own senses. Fill out this form with your pre-order details, and you’ll receive an email with instructions to access the video series and more bonus content.

This week on Happier with Gretchen Rubin

PODCAST EPISODE: 414

We’ve talked about thinking of your “future-self” as a way to create accountability (especially for Obligers) and as a way to think about what you want from life.

Listen now>