Alpha Mom Must List: Read “Happier at Home”
Two summers ago I read Gretchen Rubin’s NY Times’ best-seller The Happiness Project right when I needed it. I was going through a personal rough patch and needed to reset my compass. Although I didn’t embark on monthly happiness projects (honestly, that was never my goal) like Gretchen did and wrote about in her best-selling book, I did make some big changes to my personal and professional life.
Most importantly, I started finding ways to enjoy the life that I had in front of me all along. I was ignoring opportunities for daily pleasure at home and with my family. I was approaching forty years old, but ambition-wise I was still on the treadmill that I jumped on when I was twenty-one and graduated from college.
I needed to reset. I pushed that button HARD.
That summer, my husband and I developed our Family Manifesto. And, I became more involved in the PTA, which is a pleasure since and the other parents are so grateful and appreciative. My workout routine became a priority and I revisited some neglected home projects. Overall, I became more purposeful with my time and cognizant of the opportunity costs of my decisions.
Since then, I have become friends with Gretchen and was fortunate to read a copy of her follow-up book, Happier at Home, which comes out next week, on September 4th.
Again, I found myself nodding along as Gretchen reflects on her monthly adventures and finding myself inspired along the way. Happier at Home isn’t about design or filled with home improvement projects. Instead, Gretchen concentrates on her marriage, parenting, time, body, family, neighborhood, as well as possessions and interior design (but not in the way you would expect!). She undertakes surprisingly fun activities. In fact, I dog-eared some of these pages to bring to life here on Alpha Mom– so stay tuned.
Photo by Sheri Silver
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