Five Things Making Me Happy (A passion for work / "Chasing Rainbows")

Hello,

My sister Elizabeth loves mugs, and she loves to give personalized mugs as gifts—so I shouldn’t have been surprised when this mug showed up in the mail, emblazoned with my signature phrase of the past several weeks.

I’ll be sure to use it for my morning coffee on April 18, the publication day for Life in Five Senses. I could use some more good publication-day rituals of—what? Completion? Release? Connection? I’ll certainly touch my lucky cube (p. 181) and walk around the Met (p. 214).

Whenever I hand in the first complete manuscript of a book, I spend the rest of the day re-reading a favorite novel in bed. But that doesn’t feel like the right ritual to mark this kind of day.

Maybe I’ll retrace my walk from my eye doctor’s office to my apartment, because that was the experience that started me on this adventure. Yes, that feels like the right thing to do.

Onward,

5 Things Making Me Happy

I can’t learn enough about color! After my book tour for Life in Five Senses, I need to figure out what, if anything, I should do with my odd little hooky-book, My Color Pilgrimage. Knowing of my interest, a reader sent me the link to a wonderful website, “Color Studies.” So may interesting articles there.

Speaking of color, a thoughtful reader sent me a fascinating article: “Chasing Rainbows: Apparently the very idea of colorblindness is hard to visualize. Take a shot at looking through my eyes.” The piece includes a great explanation of colorblindness, gives many examples of how it affects experience, and makes the case for improved accessibility.

So much for peartree leaves and racing lambs—in my world, a sure sign of spring’s arrival is that I can move my trusty office heater into storage until autumn. As someone who gets cold easily, it makes me happy to know I won’t need it for a while.

My husband Jamie and I have a bad habit of watching super-popular TV shows long after other people have finished them. Years after everyone else had moved on, we finally watched Breaking Bad and then immediately started Better Call Saul—we just hit Season Four. Last night, as we were watching, I realized one reason I love both shows: They show people who are excellent at their work and who have a passion for their (admittedly, often criminal) work.

I’ve long been fascinated—and almost troubled—by the fact that so much brilliant material is in the public domain. I want to explore it, fashion something from it myself! So I’m a fan of the website The Public Domain Review—there’s so much to see and learn there. For instance, a friend sent me this article about Fraktur Folk Art, which I knew nothing about. I immediately searched the Met’s collection to see if I could visit some examples of “fraktur” there, and yup, I found two dowry chests in this style.

Updates

I had the pleasure of joining Kelly Corrigan for a conversation on her podcast, Kelly Corrigan Wonders, about my new book, Life in Five Senses. You can listen to my episode here and on all major podcast streaming platforms.
Join me for a Facebook Live event at 4 pm PT / 7 pm ET today, where I’ll explore a variety of fun experiments to engage your five senses. I’ll have interactive activities and discussions, and you can share your thoughts and ideas about the experiments. Plus, stay tuned until the end for a chance to win one of my limited-edition Five Senses Adventure Packs—a box filled with all the ingredients you’ll need to continue exploring the sensory world from home.

This week on Happier with Gretchen Rubin

PODCAST EPISODE: 425

We discuss why it’s helpful to touch someone during a tough conversation (if appropriate, of course). We mention why closing your eyes in a store dressing room can make it easier to make good buying decisions, and we take a deep dive into listeners’ answers to two common questions from Questioners. We also raise a listener question: “My relatives won’t restrain their dogs, who, while friendly, are scaring my young daughter.”

Listen now>