Category Archives: Happiness

Narcissistic navel-gazing on how to make myself happy and how I’ve succeeded and where I’m struggling.

Do you want to die with money?

By | October 13, 2023

Have you read Die With Zero: Getting all you can from your money and your life by Bill Perkins? “When I say the words ‘die with zero,’ most people’s immediate reaction is fear.” Ha! When I told my sister I was reading this book, her initial reaction was fear, indeed, but I’m intrigued. The author… Read More »

New travel hack – lounges!

By | October 3, 2023

Okay, maybe you know about this travel tip already, but I’ve recently become obsessed with lounges at airports. Changing travel styles When I was traveling solo, I would get to the gate about four minutes before they started boarding and I would eat a sandwich I packed in my bag when I got hungry. But… Read More »

How to get a mostly free trip

By | September 26, 2023

The short answer is credit cards. Apply for them, get them, spend however much you need to spend on them, and then gather up the points in your arms and whisper sweet nothings to them. This was for a 4-day, 3-night trip to Providenciales, Turks and Caicos with a night layover in Miami, Florida in… Read More »

So I did a thing again

By | August 30, 2023

On March 1, 2020, I took pictures and measurements and realized I was at the pit of my fitness journey, the heaviest I’ve ever been. Working out made me happy and I had been doing it every day for years, but the preceding six months of bad food decisions created a body I didn’t recognize.… Read More »

The one-mile project

By | July 18, 2022

I love spreadsheets. You know that better than most people because most people don’t know me. My latest spreadsheet project involves me going through google maps, street by street, and recording all the restaurants, bars, salons, and other notable businesses within a one mile radius walking distance of my house. And then, slowly, going to… Read More »

Spark Joy, a purge

By | March 26, 2020

I meant to purge my belongings over the course of the month of March, one subcategory per day according to Marie Kondo’s method of organizing. As I started thinking about it and when I realized how fun this process was going to be, I couldn’t resist and finished three days later, before March had even… Read More »

Spending money on fitness

By | March 2, 2020

For the first year or so of my fitness journey, I spent $0 on the endeavor. I watched free YouTube fitness videos, read free blogs, and borrowed books from the library. While housesitting and traveling, I used whatever was on hand. If nothing was on hand, I did body weight exercises. My legs carried me at… Read More »

The pillars of joy

By | February 2, 2020

Have you read The Book of Joy? I think about this book regularly. The authors discuss eight different components to finding joy. Four pillars for the mind and four pillars for the heart. I find myself trying to list all the pillars when I’m not feeling joyful. I think I’m really good at some of… Read More »