Charles Dickens

The Right Kind of Contagious

December 23, 2022

Photo by Igor Rodrigues on Unsplash

“It is a fair, even-handed, noble adjustment of things, that while there is infection in disease and sorrow, there is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.”

—Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol


I wish all of you a most joyful and happy holiday season, and a happy New Year. The Happy Little Thoughts newsletter will go out on Wednesday, Dec. 28 (subscribe here), but this will be the last Catching Happiness post for 2022. I’ll be taking some time off to be with family, to reflect thoughtfully on this year, and plan for 2023. Thank you so much for your presence here on Catching Happiness.


Fear

What's to Fear?

November 04, 2015

Photo courtesy Autumn Mott

“Nearly everything we’re afraid of is going to happen anyway, so what’s to fear? There is no secure or unchanging ground, and we make ourselves safe only when we see and accept the way life is. Utterly spontaneous and impermanent. When it is time to laugh, we laugh. When it is time to weep, we weep. We are cheated of nothing in life except that from which we withhold ourselves by ego’s narrow bounds.”
—Karen Maezen Miller, Hand Wash Cold

Happiness

Five Ways to Feel Happier (in 10 Minutes or Less)

November 07, 2014

No matter how happy we are, most of us would like to be just a little happier. Good news for us—there are plenty of things we can do to feel happier every day that only take a few minutes. Researchers have found a number of quick and easy happiness boosters, such as playing music that makes you feel happy, writing down things that went well and/or things you’re grateful for, or doing something nice for someone else. Here are five more 10-minutes-or-less happiness-boosting recommendations I’ve tried that bring my happiness level up a notch:

1. Cross something off the to-do list. We’re happier when we’ve achieved something, no matter how small. Choose one small task to take from start to finish (change that burnt out light bulb), or a smaller part of a larger project (check airfares for that trip you’re thinking of taking). What matters is completing the action.

2. Meditate. Sit quietly, close your eyes, and breathe. If you like, you can imagine a calming image or place, or focus on your breath. If you find yourself stewing about problems or mentally running through your to-do list, notice those thoughts and let them go. Tell yourself, “I’ll think about those things later.”

3. Laugh. Keep on hand a supply of things that make you laugh—reading material, favorite internet links (I like to scroll through Pinterest’s humor category), and so on. A quick laugh can leave your entire mood elevated. 

4. Pet an animal. Doing so lowers heart rate and stress hormones, while raising hormones that make you feel more relaxed and happy. Scout, Prudy and Tank take turns making me feel happier!

C'mon, pet my tummy...

5. Look through a “joy collection.” I keep a file folder with letters and cards from people I love, photocopies of checks received for writing and editing jobs, and photos that make me smile. Don’t have a joy collection? Start one. Fill it with things that trigger happy memories, such as favorite photos, awards, mementoes, and other symbols of happiness for you.

Feeling happier yet? What are your favorite quick happiness boosters?

Humor

I Saw the Signs

March 23, 2012

Saw this sign on the back of a van when I was driving to the library (click to enlarge photos):

What, exactly, is the cargo, I wonder?
And this sign on the road leading to the barn:

Now that is something I'd like to see walking down the side of the road.
And this one on the back of a stroller at the mall:

Apparently there are there people who need this instruction.
The world is full of funny signs. Just type “funny signs” into your search engine if you want a good laugh.

What signs have you seen lately?

Humor

Make Me Laugh

July 26, 2010

I love to laugh. Who doesn’t? What makes me laugh might not be what makes you laugh, but that’s one of the things that keeps the world interesting. I love older authors like P.G. Wodehouse, James Thurber, and Jean Kerr as well as contemporary writers Dave Barry, Bill Bryson, Celia Rivenbark and David Sedaris to name only a few. There’s a whole world of funny bloggers out there for your quick fix of daily humor, too.

Here are a couple of the things that have made me laugh lately. Hopefully you’ll find these funny, too:

This blog post from Rocks in My Dryer.

Just about any post at all from CrazyAuntPurl.

Bill Bryson’s book I’m a Stranger Here Myself. If Mr. Bryson doesn’t make you laugh at least once, I’m afraid we can no longer be friends.

Brian Regan’s Live CD. Brian is a G-rated stand-up comedian. My family constantly quotes lines from the two CDs (Live and I Walked on the Moon) we play on every road trip. Look him up on YouTube for a taste—one of my favorite routines is “Stupid in School.”

What makes you laugh? Please share it with me—I'm always looking for some new funny.  I'd rather laugh than cry, wouldn't you?