Five Things Making Me Happy (“The Thinker” / butter and cream)

Hello,

In the tumult of everyday life, it’s often hard to remember to step back and consider large questions. I’m always looking for ways to remind myself to reflect on changes that could make my life happier, healthier, more productive, or more creative.

One of my favorite tools? A date. Mother’s Day reminds me to appreciate my mother; Valentine’s Day reminds me to appreciate my husband; New Year’s Day reminds me to identify my one-word theme for the year; Halfway Day (July 2) reminds me to take stock in how I’m doing with that one-word theme; Labor Day reminds me to reflect on my goals for my work life.

I like using such dates so much that I’ve recently updated my “Calendar of Catalysts,” which you can get here, if you’re interested.

Today is 5/5, which I’m dubbing “Sensorium Day,” an annual date to appreciate my five senses, notice my surroundings, try sensory experiments or games, go into nature to explore with my five senses, or whatever else I can do to enjoy and feel grateful for my five senses. I’m on book tour, and today I’m flying back from Cincinnati to New York City. In The Philosophy of Andy Warhol, Warhol noted, “Today my favorite kind of atmosphere is the airport atmosphere,” and I think I’ll make a special effort to use my five senses to notice the “airport atmosphere.”

Onward,

5 Things Making Me Happy

I visit the Met every day, and one of my favorite kinds of visit? When I read about an artwork in a book, then go find it for myself. I recently read Emily St. John Mandel's excellent novel The Glass Hotel, and in it, the character Vincent goes to see Thomas Eakins’s portrait The Thinker—so I went to look at it. Although it’s in one of my favorite galleries, in the American Wing, I hadn’t particularly noticed it before. I love anything that helps me to see.

Speaking of the Met—I go every day, but many people probably don’t think much about the Metropolitan Museum until the yearly Met Gala rolls around. The Met observes very few holidays and is closed only for Thanksgiving, Christmas, January 1st—and the first Monday in May for the Gala. For days before, the museum was setting up tents and stands, both inside and outside of the building. I’ve never walked over to observe the hoopla on the street while it’s happening, but I should do that one of these days. I do like looking at pictures of all the wild fashions that attendees wear.

I love aphorisms, and I’m a big fan of the writing of Julia Child (I don’t care about the actual cooking), so I was delighted to find this list of verified aphorisms from Julia Child. My favorite, which sounds to me like a Zen koan: “If you're afraid of butter, use cream.” Also, “The more you know, the more you can create.” In my book Life in Five Senses, I include this line: “People who love to eat are always the best people.” What does that say about ME? Taste is my most neglected sense. (If you want to learn what your most neglected sense is, take the short quiz here.)

Along with my love of aphorisms, I love proverbs, paradoxes, House words from the Seven Kingdoms of Game of Thrones, etc. I’m always looking for new additions to my increasingly unwieldy collection of such items, so I was delighted when a friend sent me the link to A Book of Sundial Mottoes, a compilation from 1903. A few are cheerful reminders, such as Qualis Vita Finis Ita (Praise a Fair Day at Night), but most are warnings: Hora Pars Vitae (Every Hour Shortens Life), Tenere Non Potes Nec Perdere (You Cannot Keep It Nor Lose It), and “A Day May Ruin Thee • Improve This Hour.” My own suggestion: “The Days Are Long, But the Years Are Short.”

I had some time in the Chicago airport before my flight to Cleveland, and I spent it poking around in Barbara’s Bookstore. I do love all airport bookstores.

Updates

Join me for a Reddit AMA on May 11th (1 pm ET), where I’ll be answering all your questions about my work. Whether you’re looking for fresh ways to calm down, cheer up, live in the moment, or spark creativity—or you’re just curious about why ketchup is magic—I can’t wait for the conversation.
If you live in the Toronto area, I have a local event coming up. I’ll be at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema on May 7th as the special guest for an exclusive live episode of The Happiness Lab, with psychology professor and happiness expert Dr. Laurie Santos. Click here for more details and to buy tickets. If you can’t make it to the in-person event, I recently joined Laurie on her podcast for a two-part interview which you can listen to here.
Or, if you live in the New York City area, you can join me on May 10 with M.M.LaFleur founder & CEO, Sarah LaFleur, at their new store location on the Upper West Side. We’ll be discussing my new book, Life in Five Senses, and how to use your senses to be more present every day. Click here for more details and to buy tickets.

This week on Happier with Gretchen Rubin

PODCAST EPISODE: 428

We talk about how and why we should try to be a source of opportunity for others. We also discuss listeners’ suggestions for how to deal with family

members who won’t control their dogs, as well how we get recommendations for books to read. Plus we suggest new dates for the Calendar of Catalysts which are based on the five senses.

Listen now>