Photo by Stéphan Valentin on Unsplash

Much of the U.S. is sweltering right now, so indoor pursuits sound much more appealing than outdoor ones (though as you read this, I’m at the beach…sweltering). Even though much of the online world is a hot mess too, here are a few interesting and uplifting internet destinations for you to check out.

Visit Action for Happiness for a monthly calendar of daily actions for a happier life. Every month has a different theme.

I’m currently incorporating a few of these suggestions from Courtney Carver’s “7 Simple Shifts to Trade Overwhelm for Joy,” specifically numbers one and three. 

Thanks to Laure Ferlita, I recently discovered Filling the Jars. I especially enjoyed “10 Simple Daily Habits to Start This Summer for a Calm and Soft Life.” Summer in Florida is hard for me; these slow and soft practices are helping me enjoy some things about my least favorite season.

“Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village” made me chuckle. A must-read if you, like me, love a cozy English village mystery. Tip: avoid the village shop. “They sell cheese, stamps, tea, and death.”

The news isn’t all bad. Click here for a roundup of good news stories from around the world. Their newsletter always encourages me.

I found the topic of “psychological minimalism” intriguing since I’ve been known to overthink things as well as become overwhelmed by the onslaught of news, notifications, information, and just plain mental noise.

Even if you don’t consider yourself “creative,” this is an inspiring watch:

Note: Catching Happiness is taking a summer break. See you in a couple of weeks!

Photo by Onur Binay on Unsplash

In December, we bought a robot vacuum. It sat in its box until a few weeks ago because we still had too much stuff sitting on the floor waiting for a permanent home. Then, once we had unpacked and put away those things, I got stuck on naming the vacuum, because I am that (crazy) person.

Initially, I wanted to name it “Rosie,” (or Rosey) after the robot maid on The Jetsons. But Rosie is the most common name for Roombas, something I learned when I looked up “robot vacuum names” (because I am also that crazy person). On that list of names, “Vlad the Inhaler” made me laugh out loud, so Vlad became our Roomba’s name. 

Once Vlad had been christened, we sent him off to map the house before his first job. Vlad bumbled through our rooms, smacking into walls, crawling under furniture, and generally looking like a large, intoxicated hockey puck. This was perfectly normal, according to the operating instructions. (The final map of the house said we have five living rooms and our third bedroom is labeled a bathroom, but oh well.)

I’ve been known to take life lessons from unlikely places (see here and here), and it struck me, as I watched Vlad do his thing, that there are some lessons to be learned from a robot vacuum. 

Life lessons from a robot vacuum

• You can finish a big project by methodically moving through it. Speed is not always the most important thing.
• Looking confused is part of the journey.
• What you’re doing might look odd or confusing to someone else, but you have a plan.
• No one can really tell what you’re doing—or how well you’re doing—it until you're finished.
• If you’re stuck, pause for a moment and get your bearings.
• Sometimes it’s necessary to retrace your steps…but not over and over again. Know when you need help.
• Ask for help. Most likely you’ll get it.
• Even when you do a good job, it won’t be perfect. The people who care about you realize you’re not perfect (nobody is) and will make allowances for you.
• When your battery is low, go home to recharge.

Vlad has been on the job for several weeks now, and in addition to the pleasure of not having to vacuum as much (Vlad is imperfect, after all), it makes me smile just to see his name on the app. Choosing to enjoy the little things and looking for unusual ways to reinforce positive beliefs can help us feel happier. Have you taken any life lessons from an unusual source? Please share!

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

And just like that, here we are smack in the middle of 2025. A good time to review how the year is going—if you have any special goals or plans, how are you progressing? Has this year held any surprises?

I feel a little weird doing a mid-year review because I didn’t set any big personal goals in January that need to be checked on. (Did I? *Checks notes* No, I did not. And that “setting goals by quarter idea? Nope, didn’t do that, either.) Still, I think it will be helpful to review what I have done, and think about what I might like to do during the remainder of the year.

Here’s what I did: Other than the normal tasks of life and a bare minimum of writing, the first six months of 2025 have been devoted to preparing and selling our family home of 28 years, and getting settled in our new home.

That’s it, and that’s OK. Most of my time has gone to coordinating (and helping with) home repairs and remodeling, unpacking, organizing, and simply figuring things out. Even though I love my new home, moving is stressful. It takes an emotional and physical toll. I love to check off goals, but some seasons it’s not possible. My personal projects and goals had to step back while I dealt with the admittedly major projects of selling a house and moving.

Looking back over my calendar I also see plenty of meet-ups with friends, a couple of movies with my husband, regular walks and yoga sessions. I’ve read a lot of good books and seen a favorite author in person. And—control your excitement—I renewed my driver’s license. This has been hanging over my head because I had to appear in person with multiple proofs of my existence so I could become Real I.D. compliant. It was a hassle, but it’s done.

All of this is the stuff of a busy season of normal life. Being able to find satisfaction in it is a wonderful thing. I’m learning that I don’t have to check a flurry of personal projects off a list to feel contentment.

25 in 25

That said, I do enjoy setting goals and accomplishing projects. I’d like to be able to have more to show for 2025 than just getting settled after the move.

While I didn’t lay out a bunch of goals to work towards at the beginning of the year, I did fill out Gretchen Rubin’s “25 in 25” list with a combination of things big and small, fun and tedious, that I’d like to have done by the end of the year. I’ve completed 10 out of my 25, including “Finish Agatha in Order project” and “Design and install a closet system for our bedroom closet.”  I’m 90+ percent done with two more. Not bad, about halfway done at the mid-year mark. 

Word of the year

Ease was and is a great choice to guide me in 2025. It reminds me not to pack too much into my days, weeks, and months. It also encourages me to look for the ease-ful way to approach various challenges. Instead of rushing headlong into whatever-it-is, take a beat to consider what might be the most mental- and physical-energy saving way to proceed. Also consider whether that whatever-it-is is necessary at all. Especially during summer, I’m better off conserving my energy for what is truly important. When I have a choice of activities, I consider which one feels more aligned with ease.

Now what?

Which brings me to what’s next. We’re not done with house stuff (will we ever be?!). There’s a leak in a wall which pushed our prospective bathroom reno higher on the schedule. We need cabinetry installed in our laundry room. My office is still a work in progress, and I still have some sorting and storing to do. My husband and I need to take at least a weekend getaway to completely disconnect from all of the above. I still want to go to California to visit family, but that has been pushed into the fall because of a family member’s surgery.

After so much turmoil over the past couple of years, I want to feel calm, joyful, and at least a little bit in control of my days. I want to be relaxed, but also productive. Maybe that means choosing just one or two goals or projects, rather than 12 which is my usual tendency. Concentrate on the house and on scheduling that weekend getaway.  Fight the urge to commit to more. For July, August, and September, keeping it simple and low-key feels right. October, November, and December will have a different vibe, usually a more energetic one, and I hope and plan to capture that energy.

I share my goals and mid-year reviews here because I think part of a happy life includes, as Gretchen Rubin puts it, an atmosphere of growth. I like sharing progress with you, my online friends, because I hope it sparks ideas for what could add happiness to your life. I share missteps because that’s real life, no matter what social media tells you. Mistakes Will Be Made. We all fall short from time to time, we all sometimes take a different path from the one we thought we’d be on, sometimes on purpose and sometimes because of life being life-y.

If you’d like to share what you’ve been up to so far in 2025, please do so in the comments below. I’d love to hear how it’s going, and what plans you have for the remainder of the year!

Photo by Todd Trapani on Unsplash

“A Night can NEVER defeat the Sunrise.”

—Sumit Sharma