Elements of Happiness

I grew up playing the flute and became fairly accomplished in high school. I have played off and on as an adult, never getting past my peak as a teenager in technique, but steadily developing a more sensitive ear and the ability to make music. Last week, I attended one of my son’s band concerts.…

Last week, I blogged about the small things in life that give us pleasure–pomegranates, lost objects found, sunrises. I think of this as having gratitude. When I think of gratefulness, I think of the big stuff–freedom, family, health. I was reminded of all that I have to be grateful for in one day recently. That…

I’ve been delighted with small surprises in the last few days. Over the weekend, I was sitting next to a woman at a karate tournament who was eating pomegranate seeds. "Is that a pomegranate?" I was curious as I had only seen the dried pomegranates in lovely wreaths from Smith and Hawken and fresh pomegranates…

Today is the second day of the International Coach Federation conference. I didn’t think I would be blogging much while away from home. But what I’ve found is that when I’m in a new setting, writing helps me make meaning of my experiences. Yesterday, the keynote speaker was Rachel Naomi Remen. She’s the author of…

Last week, we had our first big snow storm of the season. Not at my house, but 10 miles away, in the foothills of Boulder, Colorado. At my house, we had two days of rain. Something about updrafts and mountains that made it just a bit warmer to avoid the white stuff. Never mind that…