After a yearlong hiatus from blogging, I've decided to embark on a new blog project. After all, I realized, it wasn't writing/ blogging I disliked per se... it was the subject matter featuring on my now defunct blog which was the problem. Writing about law school? Yawn. Solution? New blog, new ideas... out with the old in with the new!
I'm hoping to be able to make this blog an on-line scrapbook of my experiences, ideas, challenges and minor, intermittent successes as I bumble through life as a stray Canadian in Sydney, Australia. I'll admit, I've been inspired by a new book I came across recently, The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. Gretchen, a former lawyer herself, has parlayed her lawyerly skills (writing, analysing, being overly detail oriented) into a career as an author, blogger, and all 'round "I love my job" kinda gal. Along with her witty personal anecdotes, the way she interweaves the literature on happiness, both popular (think Oprah, Malcolm Gladwell) and more scientific (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, anyone?) is both interesting and inspirational. From the many (many) books on the topic, teasing out the so-called "laws of happiness" is no small feat; however I am impressed with what I've read so far and game to try it out in my own life.
And so, as if I don't have enough homework, in the hopes of starting my own "Happiness Project"- I'm assigning myself the recommended first task of creating my own "Resolutions." (FYI, resolutions made two thirds of the way through August are much easier to keep than those made on January 1- less pressure, y'know?)
According to Gretchen, the way to decide what resolutions to make are to answer a few questions, the first of which is "What makes you feel good? What activities do you find fun, satisfying, or energizing?"
In a revolutionary moment of utter epiphany, I've come up with the start of what is sure to be the world's most unique list:
- Backpack style travel- I am so energized by the simultaneous thrill and challenge of navigating around a brand new city, meeting strangers who become friends, uncovering unexpected cultural differences, negotiating my way through various communication challenges...
- Playing team sports
- Whipping up a delicious and tasty dinner with farmer's market fresh, in season ingredients.
- Creating a comfortable, cozy apartment for me and my boyfriend. Our little piece of calm in the middle of a bustling city. To this end, I love shopping for house stuff- just not the driving to and from... wait... stay focused on the positives!
Anyhoo, a due-in-two hours practice problem is calling my name, so that will be about it for today. I'll be back tomorrow with more details of my "Happiness Project." Until then I'll be forcing myself to work on said practice problem while feeling happy to have written Blog post #1. Might make myself a warm cup of cocoa to celebrate!