howtobelaura

Week Eleven: Get Lost in a Secondhand Bookstore

The reading of all good books is like conversation with the finest (people) of the past centuries. – Descartes When the rest of the world is on fire, I can step across the threshold of Hannelore Headley Old & Fine Books and be instantly transported to a much simpler time. I somehow find myself inContinue reading “Week Eleven: Get Lost in a Secondhand Bookstore”

Week Ten: Make Dinner for a Friend

Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm. — Winston Churchill I had been looking forward to this week from the beginning. I love to cook and I love to entertain people in our home. In fact, it’s about the closest thing I do on a regular basis to “adulting” andContinue reading “Week Ten: Make Dinner for a Friend”

Week Nine: Read “Zen Habits”

The trouble is, you think you have time. — Jack Kornfield There is no other feeling quite like having your entire world changed by the pages of a book. For the briefest moment in time, your thoughts are bound with someone else’s; you feel their sadness and joy, triumph and defeat, as you walk anContinue reading “Week Nine: Read “Zen Habits””

Week Eight: Get Some Sleep

There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep. — Homer, The Odyssey You know what they say about the best laid plans? Going into this week I had an inkling that my plan to “get some sleep” would be less than successful. Book-ending this very short work weekContinue reading “Week Eight: Get Some Sleep”

Week Seven: Watch a Romantic Comedy

I regard romantic comedies as a subgenre of sci-fi, in which the world operates according to different rules than my regular human world. — Mindy Kaling In January, after I selected my “happiness tasks”, I decided to write out a calendar for the year, scheduling each of the 52 weeks up front. I did thisContinue reading “Week Seven: Watch a Romantic Comedy”

30 Things to Do Before My 30th Birthday

Here is the list of 30 things I hope to accomplish before I turn 30 in October, 2020. I will be updating this post as I achieve them. Run two 5k races Get ID’d/carded one last time Paint something Save 12% of my annual income and put it in my TFSA Find a dentist LearnContinue reading “30 Things to Do Before My 30th Birthday”

Week Six: Make a List of Things to Do Before Your Birthday

If you’re not getting older, you’re dead. — Tom Petty I deliberately set out to make a “birthday bucket list” this week because at the beginning of the month, my husband celebrated a milestone birthday. Watching someone else cross over this particular threshold seemed like an appropriate time to reflect on where I am nowContinue reading “Week Six: Make a List of Things to Do Before Your Birthday”

Week Five: Tidy Your Desk

He longed for cleanliness and tidiness: it was hard to find peace in the middle of disorder. — Robin Hobb, City of Dragons There is a lot written about clutter: what it says about your personality, your mental health, your relationships, your productivity. Invariably, any article, blog post, or piece of motivational home decor containsContinue reading “Week Five: Tidy Your Desk”

Week Four: Do a Good Deed

How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world. — William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice This week my “happiness task” was a mix of three things from a couple different lists: do a good deed, perform a random act of kindness, and save someone’s life. SoundsContinue reading “Week Four: Do a Good Deed”

Week Three: Set a Fitness Goal

If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes. — Andrew Carnegie New Year’s resolutions have existed since at least the early 19th century, possibly dating as far back as the late 1600’s. Ever since then, people have been making and breaking resolutions everyContinue reading “Week Three: Set a Fitness Goal”