Secrets of Adulthood

Sometimes a book keeps coming at you from all different directions. I kept seeing The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin everywhere. I would walk past a shop and see it, I would see it online, I would see it in the newspaper, I would over hear someone talking about it at a cafe. The universe trying to tell me to read it. I scoffed inwardly "I don't read self help books and I certainly don't need help to be happy." Cynical? Yes. 

But yet it still kept jumping out at me. So I popped it on my kindle before we went to Thailand and I started reading it on the plane. I was immediately struck by the authors honesty it is hugely personal but so much of what she said rang true to me. Gretchen makes various commandments and personal truths for herself to keep her on track as she tackles different aspects of her life month by month. The research is comprehensive and explained in an easy to read way and there is a good mix of evidence as well as personal truths. I loved some of the great ideas she has like : don't delay a task that takes less than a minute. I have made this 5 minutes for me and I find if I just- for example put the washing away rather than be annoyed by the basket it really actually makes me feel lighter. 


Probably my favourite part of book are The Secrets of Adulthood. You know those things you work out as you grow up that you can't believe took you so long to "get' which I loved as I often thought about these kind of things, when one would spring up I would immediately think - why didn't I work that out sooner?? What took me so long to work it out?


So I started writing mine down when I thought of them:


here they are:


When cranky assess last food and water intake.

Good food and exercise makes you feel good.

Sometimes it's easier to shut up

Ranting and raving and "venting" make you feel worse not better.

Always be nice to admin people, no matter how difficult that may sometimes be.

It's generally not the fault of the person who answers the phone.

It saves time if you read the instructions.

Friendship is not always forever.

It's nice to be nice.

No one will ever be as consistently excited to see you as your dog.

People who come across as snobby or rude may just be incredibly shy.

If you say the compliment out loud, it will make you both feel good.

Nothing ever turns out as you imagine it in your minds eye. Never ever.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.*

Being optimistic is a force of will.

Question professionals decisions and treatment plans. Ask about evidence. 

Always have a wet weather plan.

The words "sorry" and "but" cancel each other out.

Wanting change means getting actively involved.

Feeling guilty is a choice you make.

People that tell you you are sensitive may have just been incredibly insensitive. 




* this one is obviously not my own but it took me a while to get the concept

What are your secrets of adulthood? I would love to know, I bet you have lots of them.

New Little Buddy.

Earlier in the year I made some foolish declaration about not buying magazines anymore. That didn't last as I have an addiction. This is my excuse. A pathetic one I know. One I should certainly be able to address.

However, I have made some steps towards *reducing the paper waste in our family. I have bought a Kindle. I got it a while ago and I love it. Now I know many of you are going to poo poo this e-reader saying it signifies the loss of the written word and the death of books etc etc and to some extent I agree. I am not saying I am going to stop buying books. (When I was in Melbourne Mich took me to Artisan books on Gertrude street where I had to buy a book about the history of Colour- such a beautiful book shop, and just down the road was another book shop called Books for Cooks which I could absolutely recommend and of course I bought Chef a book too. ) In fact quite the opposite but I am only going to buy books that are like reference books, like I have written about before. But all those disposable books, you know the crime kind of ones that you sometimes read when you don't want to use your brain too much, that you read in a few days?? that you pick up on a whim? I am not going to buy them anymore.  I just have an image ( Mich has hear this spiel before) of a book factory pumping out Jodi Picoult books by the thousands and just think about ALL THAT PAPER. Think about it....it's not like her books are life changing novels? ( sorry to pick on Jodi, but you get what I mean) so these can be downloaded onto my kindle, if I feel that way inclined, for a fraction of the price. ( about $8)

Which brings me to the kindle. It is not like reading a computer screen at all. Nothing like it. I have tried to show you the screen, this is Fantastic Mr Fox which I have a real copy of but wanted to see if it showed the pictures when I downloaded it- which as you can see it does.  

You turn the page on by the little button on the side. You can change the font size and type -this was hugely important to me- what if it was in comic sans - *shudder*. (I know you don't think it is that bad LC and you cannot comprehend the enormity of my contempt for it )The keyboard at the bottom is so you when you dial up Amazon you can type in the name of the book you want, they are downloaded onto your kindle in about one minute. This is great for someone like me who is not always good at delaying gratification. It is instant.

Because I am a rampant consumer I had to buy a nifty cover for it.  I take it everywhere. It is great for holidays, as it is light as a feather. The battery lasts for ages too.  It is my new little buddy and I have already converted a few friends too.

* this is how I am justifying this purchase.