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You are here: Home / Archives for happiness

happiness

Me at 42

September 16, 2021 By Jodi

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.

How it Went: Month 1 of the Happiness Project

May 16, 2021 By Jodi

Spending a month getting reacquainted with myself, while trite, was incredibly meaningful.

Solitary cabin in winter, we are all islands

Happiness Project: January: Self-knowledge resolutions

March 30, 2021 By Jodi

Starting a happiness project is all the easier when someone does the legwork for you. Freed from having to think too much about it, it was easy to get started on January's theme of self-knowledge by picking up a handful of suggestions from Gretchen and throwing in a couple resolutions of my own. The idea...

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Happiness Project Redux

March 23, 2021 By Jodi

In my previous post, I mentioned that I'm endeavoring a Happiness Project again. I've written a lot of background about happiness projects, and why I find the idea meaningful—as opposed to mere frivolity––so I won't go into that again now. This time, though, due to some Black Friday margarita drinking*, I'm actually doing the official...

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Boy at top of Spencer Butte

The Subtle Art of Showing You Give a F@ck

March 3, 2019 By Jodi

James and I are taking a parenting class offered by August's school. The class is called Parenting with Love and Logic (the link goes to a book by the same name). The basic idea is to use empathy with our children in order to empower them to handle their own problems and decisions. One of...

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Jodi with babies in lap

What Do You Most Wish for Your Children?

December 11, 2017 By Jodi

I was flipping through a local magazine for moms last week when I came across an interview with the cover mom, a local business owner. One of the questions, thrown unceremoniously into the middle of the interview, was, "Your biggest wish for your kids is..." Can you guess the answer?

Happiness Project wrap-up, hot chocolate winter walk

Wrapping Up My Happiness Project

February 28, 2017 By Jodi

Six months ago I started a small happiness project, and now it's coming to an end. Today I'd like to look back on the project, see where I succeeded and where I didn't, and what lessons I can carry forward.

Making friends as an adult in the US and Sweden, two women hiking

Making Friends As An Adult in the US and Sweden

February 24, 2017 By Jodi

I've been thinking a lot about relationships—particularly friendships—as part of my happiness project these last few months. It's also something I think about as an immigrant living in a foreign country. I have been blessed to have some of the very best friends in the world, but, unfortunately, they all live an ocean—or an ocean and a...

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Empty bench in park by James Pond

Happiness Project Month 5 Wrap-Up

February 1, 2017 By Jodi

This month in my happiness project I wanted to give myself an attitude adjustment. I wanted to pause to enjoy the moment, and I wanted to work on my bad habit of complaining too much. I was fairly successful in my first goal but less so in my second. It helped that I set myself up...

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August on rope swing and happiness

Happiness Project Month 5: an Attitude Adjustment

January 10, 2017 By Jodi

This month I'm working on giving myself something my mother offered to give me countless times throughout my teenage years: an attitude adjustment. I'd been struggling with what to focus on this month (and yes, I know that we're already ten days into the month and I'm late to the game); I really want to...

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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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Winter in Sweden: the Basics

December 15, 2016 By Jodi 4 Comments

Fire outside cafe making for a cozy Swedish winter

It's time to talk about winter in Sweden. A while back I wrote about summer in Sweden, essentially saying that it's like heaven. And winter? Well, winter can feel like the opposite; or if not quite like hell, then rather like a long, slow slog uphill through waist-deep snow in the dark with clouds covering...

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Life in Sweden: Community Cleaning Days

May 4, 2017 By Jodi 2 Comments

Boys sweeping the street

Now that spring has (finally!) come to our part of Sweden, communities are having their biannual fixardagar or städdagar (fixing days or cleaning days). Most communities, be they neighborhoods, marinas, apartment or condo associations, or parent-cooperative preschools, have a day in the spring (and another in the fall) when members of the community get together to do whatever...

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Getting Ready for Spain

January 11, 2017 By Jodi 5 Comments

Nerja sea and landscape

We're off to Spain tomorrow morning! We're staying in a small town on the Mediterranean called Nerja, where we've rented an apartment for the two weeks we'll be there. We're looking forward to sunlight (!), warm afternoons spent at playgrounds, and yummy fresh food (and, of course, cava).

Some Thoughts on a Friday

September 23, 2016 By Jodi 6 Comments

church-windowsill-flowers-jez-timm

I went to a funeral earlier this week on the island of Åland. I hadn't known the person who passed very long, but I'd come to admire him in the months that I did. A friend and I went together, taking a ferry from Sweden to the Finnish islands lying in the Baltic.

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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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