Episode #32: The Tenets of Happiness! Tenet Three: Mental Happiness
Alvina kicks off this week’s podcast with a little re-cap of her fun weekend in NYC. She may be one of the few people who can call running ten miles “fun”! That is what she did this past weekend in preparation for her upcoming half-marathon! She also took a trip over to Governors Island to see some really unique art exhibits. Here’s a little glimpse of favorite art work she saw:
Flower Dogs seen on Governors Island!
Grace has been thinking of having a creative side project in her life. She remembers back as a student at RISD when they had to pull their fortunes out of fortune cookie and somehow illustrate that fortune. She’s not sure what her creative side project will be just yet, but something fun like that or perhaps a painting once a month based on cheesy mantras that she loves…like the Yogi Tea bags!
Circling back to the Four Tenets of Happiness discussion, Grace and Alvina share there thoughts on how they find happiness for their own mental health and well being. As it turns out, they have different ideas of what mental happiness means to them. Grace thinks of it in terms of how you feel about the world and yourself. Alvina thinks of mental happiness as how sharp you are keeping your brain growing and learning. They share some specific examples on how they attempt to nurture both interpretations. They agreed that stepping out of your own bubble and reading or listening to different things helps sharpen your brain. For instance, Alvina once read non-fiction books on Ebola and Grace keeps herself informed by listening to NPR’s LifeKit podcast.
As usual, the book friends forever remind everyone of what they’re grateful for today. Grace shares the news of her chickens laying their first egg and how exciting that is! She is grateful for how happy this made her daughter. The yolk was super orange and delicious. Alvina is grateful for the cool and beautiful fall weather these days.
Grace’s chicken lays the first egg!
Chicken Jewel!
2 Minute Book Reviews! By Alison Morris
This week’s review: “Saturday” by Oge Mora.
Alison Morris is a nationally recognized children's book buyer with an infectious enthusiasm for reading and 20 years' experience matching books to readers. As the Senior Director of Title Selection for nonprofit First Book, she oversees the curation of children’s and young adult books on the First Book Marketplace, hand-selecting a diverse range of titles that speak to and address the needs of kids in underserved communities, with a keen eye to inclusion, authenticity, and kid-appeal. She previously served as Senior Editor at Scholastic Book Clubs, Children's Book Buyer for Wellesley Booksmith and The Dartmouth Bookstore, and was the founding blogger of the ShelfTalker children’s book blog for Publishers Weekly. She'll be joining us from her home near Washington, DC where she spends LOTS of time discussing books with her husband, illustrator and graphic novelist Gareth Hinds.
Other books and media mentioned in this episode:
