In the Beginning...

For my book club, the book we are reading is The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. This book was on the NYT bestseller list for a while, but that isn't why I suggested it for my book club. The prospect of a project concerning happiness intrigued me. And, as a person who has always seemed to have a need to grow and learn more, it appealed to that side of me as well.

So, here we are at my new blog and I intend it to be an account of my own Happiness Project. As she notes in her book, Gretchen Rubin is fortunate. She is a full-time writer, well-educated, lives on the Upper East Side of NYC, she is white. Like her, I am white and have a college degree. And, it is not lost on me that I am fortunate in my life. But, then, that is part of what this project is about. To focus on what makes me happy more often, to examine what could make me happier. And perhaps to see if I can help others achieve that as well. We'll see...but everything has to start somewhere. And my somewhere is here.

Gretchen has written out three lists to clarify her objectives. The first one is her Twelve Commandments. This list encompasses principles meant to help her achieve the resolutions she has set for herself for each month. Secondly, she set twelve different resolutions she planned to work on over the course of the year. She began her project in the month of January, so this makes sense. The third list is her Secrets of Adulthood. These are lessons she learned during adulthood, perhaps the hard way. I prescribe to some of them, and perhaps I will address that at a later date.

So, this is my beginning. I hope to write at least once a week. One quote from the book that I like is, "When life was taking its ordinary course, it was hard to remember what really mattered; if I wanted a happiness project, I'd have to make the time." This is true, and not just for a happiness project. Many worthwhile things require making the time for them. And my journey will most certainly be rediscovering that. Perhaps repeatedly...and practicing it is a whole different story.