It was another seemingly random poster on social media. You know, the ones that combine a quote or clever saying with an image. I typically skim them; they have a fraction of a second to grab my attention or I’m on to the next thing.
“Plan a trip, but don’t take it.”
That’s what caught my eye. It was one sentence in a list – 10 Scientific Ways to be Happy.
Really? Happy? This little exercise?
I am reading this in a week where I am, once again, visualizing where I might go next. Come to think of it, I am almost always figuring out my next excursion. No wonder my satisfaction with my life is so darned high most of the time, even when a trip doesn’t come to fruition.
Possibilities stir my soul and put a bounce in my step.
In a recent edition of The New York Times Travel section, there is a story about a woman who takes a train from Paris to the French Riviera. Her sole purpose is to write on the train. She, in fact, produces a 20-page proposal for a non-fiction book along the way. Upon arrival, she spends a few hours in St. Raphael’s.
“I savored the steam rising from a black kettle of mussels with a glass of Provençal rosé, frites and a fresh baguette,” Doreen Carvajal writes. “By the Mediterranean, a carousel and its hand-painted horses with blue and green saddles spun mostly riderless in endless circles to giddy music and the toll of bells from the nearby Basilica of Notre Dame de la Victoire.”
Then she got on her train back to Paris, in rewrite mode for that leg of the journey. Brilliant.
Not only did that exact route sound blissful as I read every word of her account, it spurred me into thinking what other routes I could try. Simply purchase a train ticket and spend the time in the moving car, taking in scenery, letting myself be inspired. I live in the middle of the action in the Northeast. Time to look into options.
Happiness quotient just at the thought – way up.
In an essay in the recent issue of Conde Nast Traveler, editor-in-chief Pilar Guzman relates her family’s experience creating a new tradition – travel during Thanksgiving week. They’ve done Paris, Venice, Rome “absent any throngs of American tourists.” She uses it as an example of going beyond the norm, as “so many of our travel perceptions and habits are changing.” Maybe you’re not willing to leave the turkey and stuffing behind, but perhaps some other holiday would make a fine getaway time.
Again, what does one person’s idea spark in us? How can we make it ours? How might it fit our schedule, our lifestyle, our whims, our desires?
I live riveted to exploration.
It might not be a bad idea to see what else is on the 10 Scientific Ways to Be Happy and incorporate a few into my life. Meditate. Spend time with family and friends. Move closer to work. Go outside. Practice smiling. Sleep more. Practice gratitude. Help others. Exercise.
Actually, I’m already faring pretty well.
By Nancy Colasurdo
