won·​der

Accelerating through a curve in the road. Vacuum marks and wiped countertops. A thick coat of paint. Blooming coffee grounds and propagating houseplants. Peeling rainbow carrots to reveal their vibrant jewel tones. A new album that you love on the first listen, that makes your chest sway and your eyes close and your head bounce.

To me, the pursuit of happiness feels more like covering the breaks than stepping on the gas.

It's laughing at yourself as soon as you spill your coffee or mistype your email address three times in a row. I acknowledge that my myriad privileges and my mental health enable me to take advantage of simple practices like Zooming Out and Laughing at Yourself and Giving Thanks and Slowing Down, etc. But maybe exercising the simplicity of these solutions, these catalysts for contentment, and preaching their gospel are the next right things, to borrow Glennon Doyle's sentiment. Maybe by assuming a posture of gratitude and wonder each day, I'm putting myself in the "ready position" (yea, I played baseball for a few years, baby) to lift others up from a place of greater ease and groundedness. Maybe, even if these practices aren't a recipe for a more joyful life, they can at least be ingredients.

"The secret of happiness is not to run too fast. You can still beat them by coming in last." -Jerusha Abbott