Photo by Bookblock on Unsplash

It’s been 17 years since I hit publish here for the first time. An uncountable number of things have changed since that first blog post. When I started Catching Happiness, I was a 40-something mom/freelance writer with a teenager at home. All my parents were living, and I had a completely different set of pets. Now I’m staring down my 60s, walking through the open door of the next phase of my life: the (gasp) “senior years.”

In 2009, creating Catching Happiness was a way for me to explore a more personal form of writing than the magazine articles I was more familiar with. This blog has been a true labor of love—and I’ve loved (almost) every minute of it.

Missing in action

However, for the past couple of years, I’ve been erratic in my posting, while I dealt with family health crises, elder care and the passing of two of my three moms, moving, the loss of my beloved horse, and the aftermath of the stress and grief of those experiences. I decided to step back and not force myself to write a post just to have something new on the website. For a while, I avoided writing anything—not just Catching Happiness posts but even journal or morning pages. What was there to say? Too often, a journal entry left me choked with grief, frustration, sadness, or anxiety. Writing had become a chore rather than a joy and solace. 

As my freelance clients faded away, I also began to come to terms with the idea and reality of retirement from actively pursuing freelance jobs. The downside being that I don’t know who I am if I’m not a writer, and did it really happen if I didn’t write about it, at least privately in my journal?

Blogging has changed. I’ve changed. And the world has certainly changed since November of 2009. But when it came down to either shuttering Catching Happiness, or perhaps moving to Substack rather than blogging, I just couldn’t do either one. I enjoy the format of a blog—a place to share not only my longer, more thoughtful reflections, but quotes, photos, interesting links and more. Writing for Catching Happiness has always been a way to work through questions, emotions, and life experiences both good and bad. I’m not ready to let it go.

So where will Catching Happiness go from here?

I just renewed the Catching Happiness domain name, so for at least one more year I plan to keep it active.

I’m still interested in happiness research, embracing simple pleasures and everyday adventures. I still believe, as I wrote in “Why ‘CatchingHappiness’?” that “happiness matters, we are in charge of our own happiness, and we can improve it.” 

I may not post every week, but I plan and hope to get back into a more regular schedule of posting. I may make some small changes to the monthly Happy Little Thoughts newsletter (subscribe here). 

I’m going to continue to write about happiness research, and share tips I’ve discovered for living a happier life in general, as well as life lessons and interesting discoveries. I imagine this next stage of life will also have plenty of discoveries and adventures. I’ll still share personal experiences and interests, because you are my friends—and hopefully that will encourage you to follow your interests as well. I’m still interested in familiar simple pleasures like books and reading, writing, and art (sketching, watercolor, art journaling). I’m hoping to travel more now that my responsibilities of caring for people and my horse have ended.

Please do share your interests with me, and if you have any suggestions for topics to cover, I’d love to hear about them.

Thank you!

Writing helps me clarify my thinking, and sharing my thoughts with others, with the intent of helping or inspiring (and, in some cases, serving as a cautionary tale) still seems a way I can continue to find purpose. So for at least one more year, I’m here.

As always, thank you so much for taking the time to visit Catching Happiness! Your words of encouragement have meant more to me than you know.

Photo by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash

In the whirlwind that was November, I failed to mention a milestone: Catching Happiness’ 16^th anniversary! Sixteen years is an odd milestone to highlight, but last year’s 15^th anniversary came and went unnoticed because I was so completely immersed in both hurricane cleanup and moving/selling our house. 

During the past 16 years and 3,000+ posts, I’ve experienced and shared many highs and lows, simple pleasures and everyday adventures, and I’ve learned a ton about happiness in general, as well as what makes me personally happy. In my very first post, I wrote: “What I hope to do is add a little to the world’s store of positive things: information, beauty, entertainment… I’ll try to balance posts that will help you get to know me, with posts that (hopefully) help you learn something new, make you smile or say, ‘I didn’t know that.’”

Through all these years, my purpose has never changed, and I’m proud of the body of work stored on the pages of Catching Happiness.

So in no particular order, here are 16 things I’ve learned from studying and writing about happiness (click links to see posts I’ve written related to these lessons):

1. It’s OK to be happy…even if others aren’t. 

2. Sometimes happiness doesn’t “feel” happy. Sometimes you have to endure discomfort or make sacrifices for happiness in the future or to do what you believe is right. (See next lesson.)

3. Single-mindedly pursuing feeling happy isn’t the goal. That can actually make you unhappy. 

4. Despite number 3, there are things you can do to make it more likely you’ll be happy. You can set yourself up for a better chance at happiness. 

5. You can get better at happiness by practicing. 

6. Happiness is individual—what makes you happy might not make me happy, and vice versa.

7. You can simultaneously experience happiness and [insert negative emotion, such as grief, anger, and so on]. Two things can be true. 

8. The goal isn’t to avoid negative emotions at all costs, but to provide a foundation of happiness that supports you through hard times. 

9. Making others happy makes you happy. Making yourself happy makes others happy. 

10. We don’t have enough fun. 

11. Experiencing deep sadness can expand your capacity for happiness. 

12. The most important factor for happiness is cultivating good relationships. 

13. The term “happiness” encompasses a number of definitions and nuances. 

14. You don’t have to pursue extraordinary experiences to feel happy—much happiness comes from the simple and ordinary.

15. Sometimes, happiness is a choice. 

16. Happiness sometimes involves forgetting and letting go.

A lot has changed in my life since I started Catching Happiness, but I still love thinking and learning about ways to live a happier, more satisfying life—and sharing what I find with you. Big thanks to all of you who spend your precious time with me—I appreciate your comments more than you know! 

Original Catching Happiness header

Little old Scout

Baby Prudy

Baby Luna

What’s next?

Tank and friend

Staying in touch