As part of my 2013 New Years’ Resolutions, I decided to start a Happy Jar. I got this idea from a tumblr post that suggested writing down one happy memory or feeling each day on a small scrap of paper and then putting each scrap into a quaintly decorated Mason jar or a red plastic vase or a discarded box of PopTarts—whichever suited your taste or was closest at hand.
The way I saw it, there were two real purposes of the whole experiment. First, I’d end 2013 with a year’s worth of happy moments stuffed into this little jar, from which I could retrieve random pleasant, forgotten memories whenever I felt like indulging in a little nostalgia. Secondly, I supposed this exercise would help me remain more optimistic by inducing me to find a little bit of good in even the crappiest of days.
Well, thanks to a timely combination of leaving to study abroad a week after New Year’s Day, losing my resolutions list in the midst of packing, and finding myself at a complete lack of empty PopTart boxes in Copenhagen, I found myself suddenly realizing on March 2, 2013 that I had never started my Happy Jar project.
Rather than deeming the project a lost cause and promising to try again in 2014, I decided to start my resolution a little late and in a way that was more travel-friendly. So, I opened a new Word document, typed out: “3/2: I got a free ice cream cone from Paradis because Danes think it’s springtime now,” and saved the file as “The Happy Mappy.” Now, a year later, I have a nightly reflection ritual and 27 pages of nostalgia-inducing daily pleasures, excitements, and surprises that made up the last 365 days of my life proudly residing in the corner of my desktop.
I’ve pulled some of my favorite entries to give you a gist of how my year went:
- 3/14: I biked in the sun
- 4/13: WE GOT OUR NCA!!!
- 7/6: Babysitting the cutest little munchkins
- 9/11: Helping Alexis at Study Tables learn her times tables
- 11/14: The last and best Peirce/Friendsgiving
- 2/24: I PASSED MY COMPS
You get the idea. After a year of cataloguing my daily joys, though, I’ve found another, unintended benefit of the Happy Jar: Reviewing the pages of entries has helped me piece together a sort of pattern to the types of things that make me happy every day. Most of my happy entries involve doing silly things with people I love, random acts of kindness—either performed or received—and either Belgian waffles or buttermilk biscuits, which has led me to the conclusion that I will lead a contented life as long as I live within reach of a few good friends and a decent breakfast joint.
I’m not sure if this little experiment has truly given me a more consistently positive outlook on life, but I like to think that it has. And, if not, that’s what 2014 is for, right? At the very least, though, my Happy Mappy has helped me discover what it takes to brighten my day. I believe that understanding what makes you happiest is a key step to understanding yourself, especially for anyone preparing to leave the comforts of college life and make a foray into independent adulthood.
So, if you’ve long forgotten about the 2014 resolutions that are now buried in your desk drawer, this is your command to dust off your list and get started. You’ll feel great, I promise. And if you’re not the type to make New Year’s Resolutions, I first chide you because setting goals is good for your mind and soul, and then secondly challenge you to start your own Happy List, in whatever form you may choose. Why not find a way to consider every day of 2014 your best day ever?
[Photo Source: Prairies North, littlepageturners.blogspot.com]