Choosing Happiness, A Simpler Life and Craft Retreats: What I’m Reading This Week

This past week was, without question, the most difficult I experienced so far this year. I had a minor medical procedure and a close friend lost her home—and beloved pets—in a fire while she was at a prenatal appointment. And that was just Tuesday.

I’ve been thrown completely off focus, off routine—a situation that is not comfortable for me. I’ve also been forced to slow down and remember what’s important.

My readings this week have reflected my need to find lightness and goodness. They’re my way of coping and taking care of myself so that I can support my friend at her baby shower this weekend. (At first, I thought the timing was just plain cruel, especially since some of the gifts were delivered early to their house. But maybe it’s the perfect time to remind her that she’s not alone; she has a whole village of people loving on her, her husband and their unborn child.)

Until next time, stay safe, be well and be kind!

Choosing Happiness

Some people always seem positive and upbeat. Jancee Dunn, writing for The New York Times, call these people mood-lifters. She explained how a crossing guard’s constant cheerfulness transformed her daily drop-off routine; it also inspired her to found others who have a similar affect on others.

Dunn profiled three people who have difficult and often thankless jobs: a New York City bus operator, jury manager and someone who works at the department of motor vehicles. They all have different strategies or approaches to engaging with the public—jokes, kindness and respect—but they repeatedly choose to be happy and positive.

Bus operator Quinton Miller succinctly describes what religious leaders and philosophers have been advocating for millennia: “My philosophy is, you don’t want the job to change you. You want to be able to change others on the job — by what you say and what you do.”

Life is never all rainbows and sunshine. There’s so much heaviness, sadness and loss. Why choose to add more when we can also just as easily choose to be kind?

Have your faith in humanity restored by reading more here.

A Simpler Life

I remember getting lost in Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden.” Like, literally lose track of my position in his paragraphs that went on for a page or more. But as an adult? I understand his desire to escape and live a simpler life.

I can’t imagine how Thoreau would’ve coped with today’s technology, news cycle, social media and rampant consumerism. Perhaps that’s why Thoreau’s work continues to endure and, in a literal sense, inspire.

Dorie Chevlen, writing for The New York Times, spoke with a few people who have built full-scale replicas of Thoreau’s cabin in the woods; they may or may not be using the blueprints The Thoreau Society sells at their gift shop. A crop of opportunists have also sprung up, with classes to teach you how to build your own cabin or rent one for a few nights. (I’m not sure how Thoreau, who refused to pay Harvard University for his diploma, would feel about his legacy being commercialized.)

Thoreau’s reaction to escape society is transcendent, and I don’t think anyone can argue that Thoreau is someone who lived his values. But if you, like me, aren’t quite sold on living in a 10-by-15 foot cabin with no bathroom or running water, fear not.

I don’t think we need to build a cabin and live in the woods for a few years to replicate Thoreau’s experiment. I do think we need to remember that life isn’t as complicated as we sometimes make it. Yes, we need to have our basic needs met, but we don’t need as many things as we think we do. We do need more nature walks, reflection, laughter, joy and love than we think, and we should definitely prioritize those.

Read more here.

Craft Retreats

OK, so for those who want to escape but not to isolation in the woods, there is the burgeoning trend of craft retreats. Jane Black, writing for The Wall Street Journal, attended a floral workshop retreat in Belgium. She spoke with someone else who offers a print and textile workshop in Finland. They both sounded lovely.

These craft retreats are usually aimed at solo female travelers. As a female who has traveled solo, I can say that planning a trip in an unfamiliar destination does raise concerns of isolation and safety, especially if there is a language barrier.

Tour company Ace Camps allows travelers to choose a destination and finds a local artist to host.

Ace Camp co-owner Vida Forrest y Salazar told Black: "We love this idea that a group of people can get together and do things they wouldn't be able to do on their own. You can travel and be nourished instead of tired at the end."

I love this idea, or maybe it’s a philosophy, toward travel.

Read more here.