If you live in the United States, in case you haven’t noticed, Election Day is looming. Make your plan to vote! Check your registration; decide when, where, and how you’ll vote. It’s the right thing to do, and we’re happier when we put our values into the world, so if you value being a good citizen, this is a crucial opportunity to live up to that value.
I mailed in my ballot with great relief—I couldn’t imagine not casting a ballot, and I was worried that somehow I’d forget or be unable to do it. Usually I like to vote in person—it gives me my “America feeling”—but because I’m traveling so much this month, I was afraid that something might go wrong. (If you want to hear me talk about getting the America feeling at the Normandy beaches, listen here.)
Onward,
5 Things Making Me Happy
If you’re in the mood for a scary story for Halloween, here are three novels and one short-story collection that have haunted me since I read them for the first time.
- The Shining by Stephen King—a family is isolated in a remote, deserted resort hotel during winter—and frightening things begin to happen. If you’ve only seen the movie, read the book.
- We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson—also about an isolated family, and what happens when someone new shows up. Very different in tone but also very scary.
- Fight Club by Chunk Palahniuk—a disaffected, bored, lonely young man and what ensues…Years ago, I saw the movie, and I loved it so much that I read the novel from beginning to end the next day.
- Bloodchild and Other Stories by Octavia Butler—the title story in this collection is set on another planet, yet it still resonates deeply.
Looking at this group, it strikes me that they’re all about loneliness and connection.
As I consider the open-door/empty-nest phase of life, I’m thinking of ways to draw closer to my sister Elizabeth—although we are already very close. The sibling relationship can be so valuable; after all, for most of us, our relationships with our siblings are the longest-lasting relationships of our lives, and roughly 80% of Americans have as least one sibling. Nevertheless, this bond is understudied. I was fascinating to read “Couples therapy, but for siblings: The practice isn’t common. Maybe it should be.”
One thing I learned about myself as I wrote Life in Five Senses is that my most neglected sense is taste. So, to have more fun with taste, I make a point to sample oddball items, such as Pineapple Mango Seltzer Ice Breakers and coconut toothpaste. On a trip to Portland, Maine, I spotted an Oreo Coke Zero in a beverage case, and of course I had to try it. Interesting! There’s a definite Oreo flavor…it even has that curious pleasant dustiness that Oreos have.
Part 2 of my conversation with the “Titans of Happiness” for World Mental Health Day is out now. Podcasters Laurie Santos (Happiness Lab), Dan Harris (Ten Percent Happier), Joy Harden Bradford (Therapy for Black Girls), and Elmo (yes, the Elmo) and I discuss happiness, self-compassion, meditation, and more.
In my visits to the Met, I’m always looking for the unexpected—something out of place, something whimsical, something funny. During a visit to the terrific new exhibition, “Siena: the Rise of Painting 1300-1350,” I was looking at a wall of five religious portraits by Simone Martini. In the last one, of Saint Luke, I spotted something odd. It looked as though a sweet little pig smiled up at Saint Luke from the corner! What the heck? None of the other figures had anything like that. I went home, looked online, examined the image very closely, and discovered that this image was a reference to Luke’s attribute, the winged ox. Now, each time I return to the exhibit (because I’m going through it very slowly), that painting seems like “my” painting in some way.
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This week on Happier with Gretchen Rubin
PODCAST EPISODE: 505
Rediscover Your Closet, Personalize Guest Greetings & When Rules Need Bending
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