Happier At Home

"The true secret of happiness lies in the taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life." -William Morris

Last night, I spent most of the night up to my elbows in laundry. I did come up for air once or twice to listen to my girls jabber about the latest books they are reading. Jessica is reading the autobiography of the famous cellist Janos Starker and his adventures with "His Lordship", that would be his cello. See, my kids aren't the only ones to name their instruments. Sabrina is devouring The Diary of Anne Frank. She says that this little 14 year old Jewish girl from another time and another place is just like her and she insists on owning her own copy of this book.

I admit that I was a little jealous as I was loading dirty underwear into the washer. Why are my children the only ones getting some good reading in here? The children finally went to bed, and Neil was up until midnight on a conference call and sending emails to China. So I climbed into bed and finished a book I've been reading for a couple of months.

Happier At Home by Gretchen Rubin is a sequel to her first book The Happiness Project. I read both of these books because I had found myself in a bit of a funk. I seemed to be unconsciously going through the motions of life, robotically putting out fires every day, and feeling rather picked on in the process. I realize that, living in middle class America with a doting husband who has a good job and four healthy beautiful children, gives me little to no reason to be discontent. I also realize that I must create my own happiness. So I thought that these books might give me that boost and that ability to reboot my mentality. 

They did not disappoint. I liked them for two reasons. Number one: Gretchen Rubin is a good writer, and she did her research before embarking on this little experiment. She read everything she could get her hands on about what seems to make people happy, and she shares much of this interesting knowledge in her books. Her books are a treasure trove for one who loves to collect great quotes.

Number Two: Her project was resolution based. Every month, she would choose an area to focus on in her life. She broke it into smaller goals, and she created a chart for herself so that she was accountable at the end of each day. Tracking her progress was one of the most fulfilling aspects of her project. As one who is deep in Personal Progress, Duty to God, and Faith in God with my children, I know that this is a process that works. Making small incremental improvements every day and being accountable to oneself. Perfecting ourselves through small and simple means. It is the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Good, quick, easy reads with loads of great anecdotes and food for thought. Without even implementing any changes yet, I have just noticed a refreshing change of perspective which is already improving my happiness. Now to go to work, and set me some goals!