This year, the longest day of the year was June 20, and I paid special attention to the fading light that evening. I’m haunted by a passage from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, when Daisy says: “Do you always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I always watch for the longest day in the year and then miss it.” Ever since I read that, I’ve tried not to miss it.
Onward,
5 Things Making Me Happy
Summer is indeed here! As with just about everything in life, we tend to have a better experience if we plan for what we want. As Yogi Berra observed, “You’ve got to be careful if you don’t know where you’re going because you might not get there.” If you’d like a little structure to help you design your summer, you can download a worksheet here.
Do you judge books by their covers? I certainly do. I love wandering through bookstores to look at all the new jackets, and I have three books about covers. This fascinating article explores recent book cover trends.
I was fascinated to read the article “The growing belief in ‘Love at First Sight’: Dating vibes may be dark, but a surprisingly optimistic notion about romance seems to be making a comeback.” Of the Americans polled, 60% said they believed in the phenomenon, and almost half said they’d experienced it. As someone who felt love at first sight myself, I absolutely believe in it. Not everyone experiences it, and it’s not infallible, but it’s not something made up by Hollywood. It’s such a mystery to me: How did I know in one glance that Jamie was the guy for me?
I love aphorisms, koans, Secrets of Adulthood, fables, teaching stories, and traditional proverbs. I was recently reading If You Have Two Loaves of Bread, Sell One and Buy a Lily: And Other Proverbs of China by Guy A. Zona. (Not many people would sit down to read a book of proverbs straight through, but I am that kind of person.) I was intrigued by one proverb in particular: “How seldom in life is the moon overhead.” Reading that, I realized that I don’t think I’ve ever seen the moon overhead. Was that even possible? I looked it up, and yes, it’s possible—it’s called the “sub-lunar point,” when the moon is directly above the observer.
For pure delight: Nancy Cartwright performs seven Simpsons characters in less than 40 seconds. It’s so fun to hear all those familiar—and very different—voices coming from one face.
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This week on Happier with Gretchen Rubin
PODCAST EPISODE: 540
Very Special Episode: Treasure Trove of Easy Ideas to Add Whimsy to Daily Life
INTERVIEW
David Litt
David Litt is the New York Times bestselling author of Thanks, Obama; Democracy in One Book or Less; and It’s Only Drowning. He is a former senior speechwriter for Barack Obama, and was described as “the comic muse for the president” for his work on White House Correspondents’ Dinner monologues.
Q: Can you suggest something we might try to help ourselves to become happier, healthier, more productive, or more creative?
I think trying new things is great. But I think it’s even more important to try learning from new people.
A few years ago, I started surfing at age 35 – geriatric by surf standards – as a way to break free from a downward spiral of pandemic-era depression. Picking up a new hobby helped me rediscover my love for life, even with all the craziness going on the in the world. And it helped me get back in shape, too.
But the most surprising part of my surfing journey – and the heart of my new memoir It’s Only Drowning, which came out this week – was the unlikely friendship I formed with my wife’s younger brother. We have almost nothing in common. I’m a former Obama speechwriter who listens to Stephen Sondheim. Matt’s a tattooed, pickup-truck driving electrician who listens to Joe Rogan. But he’s a really good surfer, and he took me under his wing.
I learned all kinds of things from Matt I never would have discovered if I’d been surfing with someone more similar to me. He helped make me braver. He helped me become more optimistic. He helped commit more fully without full knowledge.
At a moment when divisions run deeper than ever, it can be tempting to surround yourself with people who see the world the world the way you do. But if you spend time with people who see the world differently, there’s so much more you’ll learn.
Q: Do you have a Secret of Adulthood? A lesson you’ve learned from life the hard way; something you’d tell your younger self?
Be less afraid of embarrassment.
In fact, I’d go further. Be comforted by embarrassment. Because it’s proof that you’re trying something hard. If you don’t sometimes embarrass yourself a little, it doesn’t mean you’re succeeding – it means you’re not aiming high enough.
Q: What simple habit boosts your happiness or energy?
Caffeine.
Q: Is there a particular motto that you’ve found very helpful?
“You’re better than you were before.”
One of my first surf lessons was with a college student named Jamie. At first, I was skeptical about taking instruction from someone so young he had no memory of Blockbuster Video. But he was a terrific teacher. Right when our time was up, he said:
“When I was starting out, I’d miss four out of every five waves, and it was incredibly discouraging. But after each wipeout, I just had to tell myself, “You’re a better surfer than you were before.”
I started to apply that to my entire life, not just in the water. When I was working on It’s Only Drowning, there were days when I didn’t write a single usable sentence. But instead of spiraling into self-recrimination, I said to myself, “You’re a better writer than you were before you started.”
Q: Has a book ever changed your life? If so, which one and why?
When I was a kid, I remember finishing the last page of The Phantom Tollbooth, then flipping back to page one and starting all over again. I didn’t realize it until much later, but that book introduced me to the idea that writing could be playful, deep, and delightful – all at the same time.
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