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You are here: Home / Archives for Happiness

Happiness

misty mountainside happiness and grief

Happiness isn't big enough

October 17, 2016 By Jodi

Last week I wrote a post considering the question of whether seeking happiness actually makes us miserable, as some maintain. (Spoiler alert: I don't think so.) I was moved by the comments to that post, and all week I've been thinking about this one: In the 1960s, there were some very popular and influential books that accused American...

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seeking-happiness-girl-running

Does Seeking Happiness Make Us Miserable?

October 10, 2016 By Jodi

Over the weekend I noticed an essay on Vox titled America is obsessed with happiness--and it's making us miserable. Obviously, given all that I have written about happiness here, including my own efforts to do a happiness project, the title jumped out at me. Even without reading the essay, that title gave me a prick of discomfort...

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living-room-with-view

Happiness Project: Month 2--Making A Home

October 3, 2016 By Jodi

The first month of my happiness project may have fizzled out, but that doesn't mean I'm giving up. Rather, I spent the weekend rethinking what I'm doing with this project in general, and what I'm doing in the second month in particular. One of the things that really attracted me to the idea of a happiness...

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sleeping-koala-in-tree

Happiness Project: Month 1 Wrap-Up

September 30, 2016 By Jodi

Full disclosure: the first month of my happiness project did not go so well. I was hoping to start my six-month project out with a bang and create the momentum I'd need to carry me through the rest of it. Instead, I fizzled out about halfway through the first month. Here's a look at my resolutions,...

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apple-tasting-table

September's First Autumn Weekend

September 26, 2016 By Jodi

While it may have officially become autumn just last week, here in our part of Sweden it's felt like fall since early August. Still, we wanted to herald the new season with an outdoor weekend--and a trip to an apple orchard.

pink-ranunculous-anette-grolle

Happiness Project: A New Page for Links

September 20, 2016 By Jodi

I'm recovering from a long weekend of hosting friends from out-of-country and a short trip to Åland, a group of Swedish-speaking Finnish islands (an archipelago!) that lie between Sweden and Finland. I'm also battling a cold while desperately trying to catch up with office work. I find it so much harder to recover and to catch...

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Happiness-project-checklist

Happiness Project: Month 1 Check-in

September 12, 2016 By Jodi

So I'm approximately a week into my happiness project, and I'll be honest: it's not going so well. As you can see from the picture above, I'm doing so-so at keeping my resolutions. Some things, like lying with my legs up the wall and writing a to-do list, have been easy to do; while other...

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benjamin-franklin-virtues-temperance

Happiness Project: Month 1 Resolutions

September 6, 2016 By Jodi

For the first month of my new happiness project, I'm focusing on my general health and wellness. I think it's important to boost this project with an infusion of energy and vitality--something I don't always feel as the mother of two young children with a third on the way. So my resolutions this month will be focused...

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autumn-leaves-falling

Why September is Great for Projects

September 5, 2016 By Jodi

While I'm preparing tomorrow's post about making resolutions for my happiness project, I wanted to share this wonderful, timely piece with you. It comes from The Pool, a smart web publication from Britain that my friend Sophia turned me on to. (It's definitely worth subscribing to their email list!).

hands-holding-sparklers

Happiness Project: Focus Areas

September 1, 2016 By Jodi

A few weeks ago I wrote about starting a happiness project. I'm putting together a mini-project to begin next week (I would have preferred September 1, but after our recent transatlantic trip I'm a bit behind). For reasons I'll share later, a six-month project fits my life better than a year-long one, so I'm going to start by...

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About Jodi

I just repatriated from Sweden to the US with my British husband and three young kids. I started this site while living in Sweden to build the conversations and community we've had with loved ones around the world, and to create a space to share thoughts about life, beauty, motherhood, and everything else. read more →

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Recent Posts

Happiness isn't big enough

October 17, 2016 By Jodi 1 Comment

misty mountainside happiness and grief

Last week I wrote a post considering the question of whether seeking happiness actually makes us miserable, as some maintain. (Spoiler alert: I don't think so.) I was moved by the comments to that post, and all week I've been thinking about this one: In the 1960s, there were some very popular and influential books that accused American...

Read More

Me at 42

September 16, 2021 By Jodi 1 Comment

I celebrated my 42nd birthday last weekend. And despite all the popular culture and conventional wisdom informing me that I shouldn't admit to that—42—I just did. Because I am not ashamed of the woman I have become, and that woman has been 42 years in the making.

An Alternative to Journaling: Micro-Journaling

April 3, 2017 By Jodi Leave a Comment

Stack of black Moleskine journals

In my footloose and fancy-free days, I whiled away a lot of hours in cafes, drinking tea (later lattes) and scribbling in a journal. I've got a stack of classic black Moleskines to prove it. I'd paste in ticket stubs and magazine images, copy down quotes, and, of course, reflect on whatever was going on in my life at the time....

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Thoughts on Family, Geography, and Home

November 17, 2016 By Jodi 2 Comments

August and Lee carving a pumpkin

While we were in Michigan after my father's death, we had the great fortune to spend time with extended family. One of my favorite moments was the Saturday before Halloween, when James and I took the kids to a pumpkin patch and brought home a haul of pumpkins to carve with my Uncles Lee and Chris. Carving pumpkins...

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About Dear Sabrina

Welcome! Dear Sabrina is a lifestyle blog for the thinking woman (and man, if men read lifestyle blogs). I hope that visiting this site gives you something to think about, makes you laugh, or shows you something new. If you want to further connect, find me on one of networks below or send an email.
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