What’s making me smile this week?
One of my favorite podcasts is Pop Culture Happy Hour. The panelists have a great rapport — I especially love witty and whip-smart Glen Weldon — and they have clever, thoughtful, insightful things to say about movies, television, books, music… in short, about pop culture. I heart this podcast very much.
Most PCHH shows end with a segment that host Linda Holmes describes as “our favorite part of this week and every week: What’s Making Us Happy This Week.” They mainly use this segment as a way to share things they’re reading, watching, and listening to that they think their audience might also enjoy. This is how I learn about all the great TV shows I’ll never watch.
Taking in the good
I decided to borrow (and adapt) their idea as a way of helping me pay more attention to the good things in my life. Neuroscientist Rick Hanson talks about the importance of “taking in the good” — i.e., of paying attention to the good things that happen to us and really letting them soak into our consciousness. We’re evolutionarily disposed, he argues, to attend more to the bad stuff than to the good stuff, so it requires an act of will to accentuate the positive in our lives. As you’ve probably heard, studies have shown that the simple practice of keeping a gratitude list helps increase one’s happiness. You can’t appreciate the good stuff, if you don’t notice it.
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
So with that in mind, here are a few of the things that are making me smile this week.
The iPhone’s new(ish) bedtime app (part of the clock functions), which gently nudges me bedward at night and awakens me next morning with birdsong. Thanks to my friend Judith for bringing this feature to my attention!
Catching up with my friends Monica and Dave, who have been living full-time in St. Louis since the fall but who make occasional pilgrimages back to the Bay Area. They’re now off to Japan and then home to St. Louis via China, Russia, and Germany. Safe travels — and come back soon!
Congratulatory notes from my sisters and brother-in-law on the launch of this blog. I really appreciate your support, you guys!
The bi-monthly gathering of A Common Table: so great to cook (and eat) with these wonderful women! (Blog post coming soon…)
We finally saw Incredibles II on Saturday — our third try: the show was sold out the first two times we tried to see it. It was fun and funny — and Jack-Jack was the breakout star. (Raccoons, beware!) And I love that it was made right here in Emeryville — in fact, just a few blocks from my house.
Making time to read before bed, instead of working at the computer until I’m ready to drop.
Craig’s amazing blackberries, which are ripening fast. Yum!
What’s making you smile this week?
Here’s to counting our blessings!
1 thought on “What’s making me smile this week?”
Jenny, thanks for the reminder to “take in the good.” This morning my friend and teacher wrote that he hoped we’d be “seeing into the day with joy and wonder.” I Woke up with some challenges today, so these timely messages have opened my eyes to the magical nasturtiums outside my door, the softness of my cat’s fur, and the promise of hood friends and good food tonight. I am grateful for what is on offer today.
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