Book It! The Happiness Project

I may have mentioned a time or two that I haven't been a big reader in, well, years really.  But I'm making an effort to change that...  So, I've jumped on board with Life as Mom and her Booking It project.  I figured if someone told me what to read, that would eliminate some of my excuses for avoiding the library.

I was actually excited to read The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.  I enjoy non-fiction and self-improvement books.  I know, I'm a dork.  However, I was actually a little disappointed by the writing itself.  Overly wordy and stuffed an overabundance of research, I found a little difficult to remain engaged.  Which is unfortunate because I love the premise of the book and find her outline for increasing happiness to be fairly profound.  She manages to articulate the elements of happiness very precisely and while you find yourself thinking that's common sense, the way that she frames each idea really adds a new light to an old concept.

Strangely, one of my biggest take-aways was probably one of the more minor ideas.  It was the case study of someone preparing a meal for a large dinner party.  When asked if he was happy doing all of the preparation, the host remarked on how he would be happy when it was over.  And that really struck a cord with me.  How many times do I obligate myself to something that is stressful and taxing only to keep doing it over and over?  But what resonated with me was the idea that while the process itself may not make me happy in the moment, the memory is something that will provide happiness for a long time to come.

Despite my critizisms of the authors writing style, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.  I think if nothing else, it inspires you to think about your own happiness and how you can improve the quality of your life.  Something we could all use a little more of, I'm sure.

Book it! Food Rules by Michael Pollan

Reading wasn't on my things I want to accomplish in 2011 list, but I've been thinking...  I watch a lot of tv.  Which is made worse by the fact that we don't have cable.  So, I have become addicted to shows like The Biggest Loser and America's Got Talent.  Which is only marginally better than watching Law & Order reruns on TNT all night.  (Oh, Jerry, I miss you.)

An honestly, I've been kinda okay with my routine.  After 6:30p, I'm pretty worthless, so television is a relatively low impact way to pass the evening.  But I recently started following Life as MOM and Jessica is doing a repeat of her Booking It series from last year.  And I thought, eh, maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing for me to do. 

Because I think the biggest reason I don't read more often is that I don't know what to read.  I've never been a huge follower of fiction, so most of the books I read are about geeky stuff, like child care, organic living, or digestive diseases.  Riviting, I know.  But if it's not a relevant topic to my season of life...  I'm not particularly motivated to delve into further research.

So, that's where I can see Booking It being a good fit for me.  There is a recommended reading list, but it's not like school where you have to read The Grapes of Wrath in 10 days and then write a 5 page paper on it.  (Please forgive me.  I have no idea how long it took me to read The Grapes of Wrath cliffnotes or what the required paper length was.  Sorry.  I had to add that disclaimer.  It was bugging me.)  You pick the books off the list that interest you, or make your own choices, and once a month you can link up to discuss.  Or not.  I doubt she's going to send my high school English teacher, Mrs. Harris, after me if I don't report in.

To kick off my reading extravaganza, I picked up a few books at the library on my way home from work.  What to Expect: The Toddler Years, The Toddler Whisperer (Can you tell I'm having difficulties with my almost 2 year old?), and Food Rules by Michael Pollan.  (You know that guy that wrote Omnivore's Dilemma and was featured in the movie Food, Inc?)  Which I read today.  At work.  In about 2 hours.  Between phone calls.  Don't rat me out to my boss, please.

In saying that, I'm telling you to find this book.  And read it.  It's a fast read and interesting in it's simplicity.  Who can't benefit from some nutritional words of wisdom?  And you don't have to be a die hard foodie to enjoy it's content. 

Matter of fact, much of it is pure common sense.  May I introduce you to Rule #2: "Don't eat anything your great-grandmonther wouldn't recognize as food."  For example, Go-gurt.  While yogurt is a wonderfully healthy food, once you add in lots of artificial colors and sweeteners, you're left with a tube of freakishly colored goop...  Kinda gross.

However, I felt a little shame upon reading Rule #20: "It's not food if it arrived through the window of your car."  Egad!  You mean McDonald's is not an appropriate food source?  I mean, seriously...  Even healthy people shouldn't eat McDonald's.  However, knowing better and doing better are not always the same thing.  Along those same lines is Rule #57: "Don't get your fuel from the same place your car does."  I live behind a QT.  32oz Dr. Peppers for $0.69?  Hellz yeah.  I know it's not good for me.  But.  I.  Need.  It.

Reading this book may not instantaneously revolutionize your eating habits.  But it can be the beginning of change.    A change that we desperately need as a society.  Because we are killing ourselves with this crap.