The Key to Happiness and Goodness

I agree 100% with everything Dennis Prager says in this 5 minute course via Prager University on "The Key to Happiness and Goodness." Without a doubt, the happiest times for me have been the periods in which I was the most grateful.

For example, for months after returning home from my mission I found great joy and pleasure in little things that I now take for granted, such as being able to take a nap, being able to call home or friends at any time, being able to listen to music other than hymns and cheesy EFI tunes, being able to read whatever I want, and just being able to go places and do things by myself. I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture.

I also experienced a heightened sense of happiness during the first 6 months after getting my first professional job. After living below the poverty line for over a decade and after months of unemployment, the gratitude I felt at having income and being able to buy something I actually wanted (as opposed to just what was needed to survive) was exhilarating.

That being said, I get frustrated that I too frequently forget about the power of gratitude and fail to incorporate it more into life. That's where I need help--in (1) remembering the power and importance of gratitude and (2) applying it into every day life. Of course, daily prayers are perhaps the most obvious venue. I heard that Oprah suggested people keep a gratitude journal. Good idea.

I'd be interested to know if any of you have any ideas regarding what can be done to be more grateful. What do you do to stay grateful?

People Are(nt) the Worst

There are days in which I deal with people and have attitude that, "People are the worst!" (Mom and Jen, I know you understand.)

Then there are days in which people do stuff like this and I think, "I love people! People are awesome."

Thanks to this man I feel somewhat vindicated for the costs I incurred in Madrid, Spain due to the week I spent there without any luggage. I spent 4 months trying to get reimbursed for those costs--which they initially said they would cover--to no avail.

Reston Runners

When I am old, rich and bored with life I'm going to start a womens community exercise group like the "Reston Runners" group I've been a part of the past 6 weeks. Imagine four hundred women of all different ages, shapes and sizes, joining together on a weekly basis to run, walk, or run/walk (that would be me) and you'll get a glimpse of the "Reston Runners" program. It's like a giant Relief Society gathering--only you feel less guilty if you don't go--and it's pretty dang awesome.

Oh and you get another ill-fitting t-shirt to add to the collection of t-shirts you never wear, but can't let go of because of an irrational emotional attachment.

Star-sighting in West Virginia?!

Have you ever tried to stare at somebody while trying to make it look like you weren't staring at them? I confess I did this a few days ago when Jen and I went tubing with some friends down the Shenandoah river in West Virginia. While we were getting ready to jump into our tubes and float blissfully down the river, we saw somebody that looked EXACTLY like the guy who plays Jonathan on 30 Rock. It was super hard not to stare at him the resemblance was so uncanny. Then we heard somebody yell, "Hey Maulik!" and he jumped in the water. Jen then came running over and announced that it was indeed Maulik Pancholy from 30 Rock. (I wouldn't doubt Jen on this stuff. She knows.)

BTW - The tubing was a blast. I highly recommend it. It POURED rain on us the last 15 minutes of our floating trek, but it was actually kind of awesome. :)

And I'm happy to announce that my previous sterotypical impression of West Virginia as a refuge for inbreeding rednecks (there goes my chance at ever running for office--I blame "The Glass Castle") has been exchanged for my current impression of West Virginia--a stunningly beautiful state where famous people go. :)

Low Mojo at Duck Beach

One of my guilty pleasures is Alanis Morrisette. I'll indulge in the tough, edginess of her voice for a period of time then move on only to rediscover her again and again. I haven't found another artist that conveys raw angst the way she does. There are times that listening to her is like listening to a friend who understands, and in a weird way, I find her music comforting.

I was reminded of her song "Ironic" this past weekend when I lost my voice during the one week of the year I needed it most--Duck Beach weekend. For those of you non-singletons out there, every Memorial Day LDS singles across the country gather together at a beach in North Carolina for the biggest, unofficial singles conference on the East Coast. I've had little interest in going since hearing it is basically a giant Mormon "Spring Break." I figured that thanks to BYU, I've been to my fair share of non-alcoholic frat parties. (Not that I would have been more interested if alcohol had been there, but I confess I do get a kick out of the fact that when I'm at parties that serve alcohol I tend to get better looking as the night progresses. ;) )

I decided to go this year upon remembering something I learned on my mission: God can't steer a parked car. In other words, I can't make friends if I'm not willing to put myself out there.

So I humbled myself a little and went . . . and then proceeded to come down with a terrible cold. My voice left me and took my mojo with it. If you don't believe me, you try flirting without a voice. And don't tell me it worked out for The Little Mermaid.

Setting my heart on worldly things . . .

In accordance with Virginia's weather temperment this past year, which has been painfully bipolar, we just got a hailstorm with the biggest hail I've ever seen. Of course, it had to happen a month after getting my Beemer, which is now dented due to the silver dollar-sized hail that pelted it for about 3 minutes.

Moral of the story: I can't set my heart on worldly things. God never gives me the chance. :)

Happy Birthday Jen!

I recently overheard the following part of a phone conversation between my roommate, Jen, and her Dad: "Hey your anniversary is coming up soon. Are you and Mom going to celebrate over thirty years of no murder-suicides?" A few minutes later I heard her follow up with the question: "So if you and Mom were trapped in an RV, who do you think would be murdered first?"

Needless to say, life with Jen is always entertaining and as today is her birthday I thought I'd list a few of my favorite things about her.

First, if NBC were to give out honorary Juris Doctorates for avid watchers of Law & Order, Jen would certainly have made Order of the Coif. She definitely keeps me on my toes by learning and asking questions about concepts she's gleaned from the show. Had I known I could have learned so much about the law by watching Law & Order marathons I would have skipped law school.

Second, Jen intervenes on my behalf when necessary. Those of you who know of the great shoe intervention of 2005 [goodbye overly chunky heels] and the great purse intervention of 2009 [welcome overly priced purses] know what I'm talking about.

Third, Jen has a number of high quality rants that are fun to listen to and argue against. (E.g., Why small children should not be allowed in museums, etc.)

Fourth, living with Jen is like living with a personal media consultant. She tells Seabreeze and me what movies and TV shows we'll like and is usually right on. It has undoubtedly saved us countless hours of needless TV watching and crappy movies.

And last, but definitely not least, I always know I can count on Jen. Jen would travel through hell and high water to help any of her friends in need and whenever I am in a bind, I always know I can count on her to do what she can to help me through.

The list could go on and on, but I'm afraid this is a blog, not a book, so I'll just have to end with Happy Birthday Jen! Here's to hoping this year is as awesome as you are!

Embassy Row

Living in DC means you get to say cool stuff like, "Last Saturday I went to France, Sweden, Italy, and Estonia," without lying. Wait! Strike that! I just did a Google search to verify that what I learned from TV and the James Bond movies was correct--that being on embassy property means for legal purposes the soil is somehow transmuted into the soil of that country. For future purposes and fellow nerds, it looks like that may NOT be true. Further research is required to know for sure, but I'll leave that to someone else. But I digress . . .

A few friends and I recently took a little international tour to the EU via the Embassy Open House on Embassy Row in DC. Here are a few of the things I learned:

- The German embassy is apparently the place to be. The line there was crazy long so we didn't even attempt it. I'm pretty sure the line was long because it was the only embassy with a moonbounce.
- The French really DO make great cheese! The sample that I was given (and the additional one that I stole when the lady wasn't looking) were delicious.
- The Estonian embassy is in an old but stately DC home that could use some remodeling and could incidentally also use some air conditioning.
- Units--the 80s knit fashion fad--may be making a comeback. (Nooo!!!) I saw a unit-like outfit on a mannequin at the Sweedish embassy. And needless to say, the Sweedish chocolate IS divine.
- The Italians make cool cars. The Italian embassy had a Maserati and a convertible Ferarri out front. The cars were actually more exciting than the embassy. (Or am I just becoming a car snob?)
- And last but not least, you can get sunburned on just one side of your body if you walk with the sun at your left in the same direction long enough.

From Basement to Beemer

I begin this blog with what will likely be the first of many confessions: I am a recovering rat racer. Let me explain. Up until recently I have been under the delusion that happiness is to be found in the acheivement of certain goals or in reaching certain milestones in life. Truth be told, a temporary happiness HAS been found at the end of many of my acheivements (i.e., graduating from college, serving a mission, passing the bar, getting a job etc.). However, in retrospect I believe some of that happiness has been born out of relief as much as anything. This type of happiness has always been short-lived, endlessly driving me like an addict towards the acheivement of another goal to get another happiness/relief fix.

This point was driven home to me recently. I was bemoaning the fact that I felt like I had fallen off the fast track in life. I was feeling stuck, like I was running running running, but going nowhere. In the thick of my self-indulgent pity party a little voice in my head yelled, "Davis, are you serious?! Two years ago you were sleeping on an air mattress in a basement and now you own a friggen Beemer! What more do you want?!" I didn't know the answer at the time, but I know it now. I just wanted to be happy and while I liked my Beemer (especially on sunny days) it didn't make me happy (although it does a fairly decent imitation--especially on sunny days).

So rather than believing that happiness is to be found at the end of the journey, I've decided that its time to start finding happiness while ON the journey. And this blog is part of a personal strategy to learn to enjoy the journey. (That's confession #2.)