Happiness Practice- Day 1

I read an interesting article in the New York Times today https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/19/well/mind/happiness-emotions-reward-sensitivity.html about how to practice happiness. I’m seeing (and feeling) a lot of anger now, in myself, and in others. It feels like an appropriate response to what is happening to our culture right now, but I sometimes feel I’m drowning in it. So the article came at a good time. I’ll bring my anger to the No Kings protest on June 14th, but until then I’m going to make an effort to find happiness as well.

A big step, according to the article, is to notice what makes us happy. I’ll start by describing how happy the chicks were to be in their “big girl” space. My partner and I recently added 6 chicks to our flock (bringing the total to an even dozen). They are a couple of weeks old now but are still too young to go out with the big girls. The adults will bully the youngsters, so I keep them separate until the littles can hold their own.

The nights have been cold, so I keep them inside with a heat lamp. In the morning I bring in my blue tub and carefully scoop each little one up and tuck her in the tub (one may be a rooster, but since this is happiness practice, they will all be hens). 

They are not happy when I carry them outside and their little cheeps take on a frantic tone. But then I set them inside their X-pen (with the bottom reinforced with cardboard so they can’t squirt through the bars. Yes, I can learn – happy about that). 

Then I carefully lower the tub to it’s side and they dash out, little wings flapping as they throw themselves into the air trying to fly, then falling back to earth to try again, all the while chirping happily to each other.

That makes me happy.

Thanks for looking,



Stay well, be curious, love diversity,

Kate

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If you enjoyed this post perhaps you will enjoy these as well.

• The Beauty of Winter
• Flying Tutus
• Glaciers to Gardens
• Night Lights in June
• Happiness Practice – Day 7