Have you heard of the site the Happiness Project? http://www.happiness-project.com/ This lady has made a name for herself! She has spent a year investigating and blogging about every attempt at happiness imaginable, and has inspired many many others to do the same. What a great gift – to inspire quests into happiness in a lighthearted, earnest, and open minded way!
I guess, though, what I was wondering is if this is perhaps my Happiness Project? Not the blog, per say, but all of the various experiments that I write about in it. The cooking, the love, the lifestyle design, the personal improvement, the laziness, the fitness, the friends, the goals, the ignoring of goals, the writing, the sleeping, the drinking, the waking up. My friends, I want you to tell me some of the things you do consciously to move towards happiness.
Digression:
One pet peeve I have in all these blogs I read about is the endnote question. It seems there is some unspoken rule on certain more “successful” bloggers that they write a post about their day or their trip or their thoughts or their project and then, at the end, usually in bold face with *** surrounding it and italics, a question, such as *** what pumpkin recipes do you cook with*** or ***what are your running challenges*** or ***what do you do on your birthday*** (these are referencing my own past posts so you can see how related they are). Basically, these take the place, I think, to a) make bloggers feel like they aren’t just writing an online journal b) inspire comments, which in turn pull up the blogger in the google ranks so it can be more findable and popular, thus making the blogger feel like they are writing what is NOT just a very popular online journal.
This, however, is my personal blog and reader feedback is much appreciated, but unnecessary fundamentally to the success of this blog. However, if I were working on a blog that I was attempting to profit off of, or that was in connection to a site that I was trying to profit off of, I would probably try all these various little attempts to interact with the readers that occur – endnote questions, contests and giveaways, polls, etc.
BUT again, this is a personal blog, with a goal to help keep in touch with friends. So, friends, I ask again - ***what are your personal happiness projects***
P.S. That was a joke. That last bit being an endnote question. But I do want to know. K. I know you write and read Faulkner, L. you draw anime and watch obscure movies with particular humour, S. you read Austen and watch 007, R. you ride and think and run, but is there anything else that you have found recently? What are the little things (think Amelie) that make you pleased to be around? I am intensely curious… and I don’t really have the attention to ask you all individually. Is this weird?
3 comments:
I am trying to become better at following what makes me feel good and strong... recognizing the things and people that make me feel unhappy and avoiding them, and paying more attention to those times that I feel "in my power," as my friend Beth would say. Dancing with a group of girlfriends. That usually makes me feel "in my power." Walking across my office to send a fax and pretending as I walk that I am Joan Holloway. Putting hummus on everything. Thanking the Universe every night before I fall asleep that, as far as I know, everyone I love is also asleep and safe. Those are the little things that make me happy!
Honestly, being self-sufficient is what makes me happiest these days. Doing things like planning out a meal and walking to the market and buying fresh produce and then cooking enough food to last me for the week. As for the project aspect, right now what I'm really trying to do is let things happen without worrying about it too much. Just, trying to let things unfold as they will.
My favorite thing to do these days is meet Annelies after work and walk along Connecticut Ave. and stop for a glass of wine.
I can't help but smile when I watch toddlers and dogs. I want my own dog but don't have the need for my own babies any more, other peoples do me just fine.
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