9 Tested Hacks for Feeling Better or Even Good

Notice Birds- They have a fragile willingness to enjoy life. Think about bird verbs, flying, swooping, singing, nesting, building, laying. There are many apps to listen and identify via a phone, but binoculars and our eyes are great tools, too.  There is no wrong way to take a moment and notice a bird.

Be nice to someone who was just treated badly- Planes and airports are farms for this opportunity, pick someone and wink or say that was hard or…

Look up something that sparks imagination– I like Can you plant a pinecone? (you cannot) or How to start an orchard on an empty lot in the city with community? -no purchasing or politics allowed in your search.

Read Ross Gay- He was on the “On Being” podcast with Krista Tippet and the episode was a plethora of hacks for heartfelt pursuits. One they mention is sharing sadness can merge into something resembling joy. I am paraphrasing here but sharing a hard time connects you and if a person responds even with, “I hear you”, something happens. Hard things are much easier to write down with your hand.  Hint: send a note to someone on paper.

Ignore your handwriting- Many of you apologize to me about your writing. “I can’t send letters because my hand shakes now,” or “you can’t read my writing” …no one cares, and what you say is what is important. There is no reason to apologize for a mysterious standard that no longer is important.  Everything you scratch out and send me brings me joy. I don’t care about how your handwriting looks.

Slow down-I have a phrase, if I am hurrying, I am not in the right place and nothing good or productive will come of what I am working on. It has been a surreal comfort to allow myself to slow down. Do one thing at a time. I sorta cannot believe I wrote this.

Weed after a rain, talk to a stranger in a bookstore, write a note to a famous person who you admire- I wrote to Jodi Kantor and her writing me back gave me hope in a hollow spot.

Listen to music you know the words to- Sing along, they just released “Stop Making Sense” with other artists covering the songs. I am singing along and danced too!

Set a weird-ass goal- I am trying to write a note and share it on social media 5 days a week until the end of the year. I post a card and write what I said in it. It is marketing yes, but it also becomes notes into the mail.