The Happiness Project - Being Flygirlish

Sorry I've been offline a few days - I've had a cold that has knocked me out. Went to the Dr. today and she put me on antibotics. Looking forward to feeling better soon.

As many of you know, I am a somewhat avid reader and regularly attend two book clubs which meet every 4-6 weeks.

Why two? Well the women in each group are very different...

In my "Gas and Energy" group, the women are highly analytical engineers and lawyers, so they offer a unique view - especially when the book touches their field of expertise. There are also two of the women's Mom's who attend occasionally and can offer insight into what life was like growing up in the 50's and 60's. While we read some fiction in this group, they've been known to pick several non-fiction titles too.

My "Boston Chicken Girls" (named because that's how the original group members knew one another) are more diverse - a couple database analysts, health care workers, accountants, a technical writer (who's currently doing a project for Disney in Orlando) and a woman who works for the US Forest Service. This group tends to stick mostly to bestselling fiction and the few non-fiction books we've read tend to be less complicated than the other group.

Even when both groups pick the same book, like when both recently read "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" by Jamie Ford, the conversation is vastly different - so I enjoy the contrasting perspectives of  both groups.

For my book club meeting tonight, we read "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin. The book is about a woman living in Manhattan who writes about her year-long quest to incorporate more happiness into her life.

Some of the points were very obvious and second-nature to me, such as:

• When I eliminate clutter and organize stuff in my home, it always makes me feel energized and in-control
• I do not drink alcohol because I do not like the taste, the way it makes me feel the next day, and I would much prefer to eat the calories instead
• I try my best to treat people kindly
• I love and appreciate my DH for who he is - not for what I want him to be
• I do not look to my DH for praise for a job-well done - that should come from within me instead
• I have identified how I like to spend my lieusire time and make time for those things in my life
• I do not "save" my stuff for a rainy day - I use my good china, I wear my favorite clothes, etc.

I am still sometimes learning this one:

• Spend money on indulgences that will make your life easier (two words - Container Store), make you happy (e.g. - an IPad - which I am still debating on purchasing) or create memories (hands-down, for me this is travel)

Some of the points, although obvious, were worth hearing again:

• Limit or eliminate my consumption of "fake food" (i.e. - stuff that comes in crinkly wrappers, boxes, cans, etc.)
• When talking to people (including children) try to frame things positively (e.g. - "No, we can't go to the park now because it's lunchtime" vs. "Yes, we'll go to the park right after lunch")
• Remember that people are usually doing the best they can or know how

Each person's happiness looks different. For example, Gretchen loves to create memories by filling up what she calls her "blank-books" (which are basically scrapbooks). To me, scrapbooking ranks next to scrubbing the toilet.

The point that resonated with me the most was her commitment to "Be Gretchen" (or, in my case, to "Be Flygirlish").

So, what does "Being Flygirlish" look like? Certainly, some of the values mentioned above are in the mix, but I think just being perceptive of this concept changes my outlook. I've already noticed that when I catch myself being crabby (like when I snapped at my DH last night because I wasn't feeling good and generally dread the PIO shots), I wasn't being very "Flygirlish."

I hope that as our children start to grow and grasp the concept of their own values, I can teach them some of the concepts I've learned from this book.

I encourage you to check out Gretchen's website: http://www.happiness-project.com/

On the pregnancy front, I have an u/s and bloodwork tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing how much the Quants have grown and hoping my levels are high enough to wean off more drugs (especially the PIO).
 
Enjoy!