Five Things Making Me Happy (5 Things / 5 Senses)

Hello,

My new book Life in Five Senses came out this week! (I didn’t realize that it was my tenth book until my husband Jamie pointed it out—a milestone.) I feel extremely lucky to have the chance to put this book into the world—I’m having so much fun talking to people about the five senses.

The moment of launching a big piece of work is exciting, and also nerve-wracking. In the most recent episode of More Happier, my sister Elizabeth and I talk about several mantras I repeat to myself as ways to handle criticism and failure, and the strategies I use to comfort myself during a time of anxiety. Most of these ideas apply to many circumstances, not just book publishing.

To celebrate, I’m sharing five things that are making my five senses happy this week.

Onward,

5 Things Making Me Happy

In the spring, I love to see the flowers planted in the Park Avenue medians. This patch of tulips reminded me of one of my favorite quotations from Andy Warhol, from his brilliant book The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: “Sometimes something can look beautiful just because it’s different in some way from the other things around it. One red petunia in a window box will look very beautiful if all the rest of them are white.” Amid all the purple tulips, that single yellow tulip looks gorgeous.

A friend told me about a terrific “hearing” experience: In honor of National Poetry Month, the publisher Farrar, Straus, and Giroux is hosting the FSG Poetry Hotline. You can call in to hear a different poem read—I called and heard Henri Cole’s “Eating the Peach.” Call 385-DIAL-FSG (385-342-5374) every weekday in April to hear a different poem read.

My walk in Central Park is especially wonderful these days, because the flowering trees are at peak blossom. I love looking at them at all—but this one, the fragrance! It was extraordinary. Alas, because of “odor fatigue,” I could experience that beautiful smell for only a few seconds—a great reminder to focus on the present moment.

As I was packing for my book-tour travels, I realized that I was almost out of sunscreen, and I picked up a new brand—Supergoop’s Unseen Sunscreen. This sunscreen has an odd texture that I’ve never quite experienced before. I had to restrain myself from just squeezing out more and more, just to play with it. I like this texture, but I imagine some people probably don’t. Would I have been as tuned in to this unusual experience before my explorations of the five senses? Definitely not.

In Life in Five Senses, I describe how taking a swig of Diet Peach Snapple transported me back to my time in law school—my own unconventional version of Proust’s madeleine cookie. So I was absolutely delighted to arrive at my first book event, with the terrific indie Elm Street Books, to find a bottle of Diet Peach Snapple waiting for me.

Updates

If you missed my virtual event book tour event on Monday, you can join me for another virtual event on May 2 at 7pm CT. I’ll be in conversation with journalist and author Olga Khazan. The event is hosted by Family Action Network (FAN) and will be held on Zoom. Get more details and register here.
Tomorrow, April 22, is Earth Day! One way to observe this minor holiday is to join the “Go Outside 23 in ’23” Challenge in the Happier™ app. Every entry helps us reach our goal to unlock a donation to One Tree Planted and, as the saying goes, the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the second best time is now. Learn more about the challenge and download the Happier app for free here.

This week on Happier with Gretchen Rubin

PODCAST EPISODE: 426

We talk about why it’s useful to consider the five senses as we’re tackling a project or challenge—it’s a way to boost creativity and unlock ideas. We also discuss how we can heighten our appreciation for our five senses by using our non-dominant hand and by asking the know-yourself-better question, “What is luxury?”

Listen now>