What did you do for fun when you were ten years old? Do you still enjoy doing that activity, as an adult? As a child, I spent countless hours collecting and copying my favorite passages into my “blank books”—an activity that’s exactly like what I do now for my “Moment of Happiness” newsletter.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus has played many memorable roles—my two favorites are Elaine Benes in Seinfeld and Selina Meyer in Veep.
On her terrific podcast Wiser Than Me, I was fascinated to hear her describe how, growing up, she loved pretending and putting on plays with the kids in her neighborhood. She said, “I remember that absolutely transporting joy of imaginary play…and here’s the thing: I get almost exactly the same feeling when I work now.”
An observation often attributed to child psychologist Jean Piaget is, “Play is the work of childhood.” I think that, at its best, work is the play of adulthood. I feel very lucky that I feel that way myself, and I never, never take it for granted.
Onward,
5 Things Making Me Happy
Do you see this optical illusion, too? Every time I get my hair cut, I get a huge kick out of it. There’s a mirror above the work counter, and it creates the illusion that the mirror continues below the counter—but it doesn’t. I’ve sat in this chair many times, and I always get a little shock when I don’t see my own feet.
I had an excellent week of reading and was reminded of this observation by Virginia Woolf, from her essay “How Should One Read a Book?”: “How am I to read these books? What is the right way to set about it? They are so many and so various. My appetite is so fitful and so capricious. What am I to do to get the utmost possible pleasure out of them? And is it pleasure, or profit, or what is it that I should seek?” There’s never enough time to read! I post what I read every week on social media, and you can also follow me on GoodReads.
Research shows that strong sibling bonds are a big contributor to happiness, and I’ve been enjoying making videos with my sister Elizabeth. In this Instagram reel, we discuss some of the secrets to our happy relationship.
I visited my friend Dan Harris and spotted this art on his office wall—a display of the book jacket of 10% Happier in many languages. It was fun to see how publishers in different countries played with the elements. I do love the art of book covers.
Perhaps in honor of late summer, the Met has moved some paintings around so that this area now includes many paintings of people going swimming. Or is that just coincidence? Either way, I enjoy walking through this gallery.
Updates
I recently asked about regret on social media, and the tremendous response made clear that many people have a lot to say on this complex emotion. Now, join me and New York Times bestselling author Dan Pink for a 30-minute LinkedIn Live session on Wednesday, August 23rd at 6pm ET, where we'll discuss regret—how we can learn from it, when we should embrace it, and strategies to avoid unnecessary regret. You may even get the chance to ask your own questions! Join us here.
This week on Happier with Gretchen Rubin
PODCAST EPISODE: 443
Clear the Decks! We Try Something New to Get Ready for September, the Other New Year
