Pain
– remained conscious throughout the day
– stretched frequently
– moved often
Play
– frisbee
– nice weather
– carefree time
– directed interest
Quality
– minor accomplishments along the way on small projects that add up to major accomplishments
– slowly built buy-in to more easily port success in one area to large-scale improvements in others
– proved efficacy on previous projects of a similar nature
I wrote a program that transforms literary and philosophical texts into patent applications. In short, it reframes texts as inventions or machines.
This is just plain awesome software art. Just look at this patent by Kafka! If a visual artist out there doesn’t start creating the visual figures for these wonderful patents I’m going to have to pick up a drawing aparatus and do it myself.
Mother’s Day
– a clean living room and kitchen
– contact with family
– space for children to play
Computing
– reclaimed an older machine I can still use
– started using the R project
– began creating a wallpaper for Fedora
Tea
– a pleasant end to the day
– relaxing body and mind
– conversational aid
a minor commitment
– three things: one
– three things: two
Enjoyment1
– a walk in the park
– beautiful weather
– an early start
– a park
– a snack
Books2
– a decision pre-made
– a collection pre-created
– a clear objective
– a step-by-step pathway to success
Cleaning3
– something you are interested in to listen to fedora.next
– no distractions
– a clear and meaningful objective
– tea
a minor commitment
– three things: one
Basement Cleaning Activity1
– Loud children’s music by the brilliant Justin Roberts provided the soundtrack
– Simple objectives for my little helpers (e.g. these in the box; these on the table; these in the garbage)
– The only distractions were game-oriented and fun
Bedtime2
A combination of:
– The stories they request
– The poems of A. A. Milne — some favorites: Buckingham Palace and Independence
– Patience
Book Selection3
– You’d pre-selected them first
– You chose from the much smaller pre-selection
– They were awaiting action when you arose for the day
Breakfast1
– The coffee was strong
– We arose to bright sunshine
– We were up earlier than usual
– There was laughter and smiles
Data2
– We put in the work — when it didn’t make sense — in order to capitalize when it did
– We honed our skills on other projects which enabled quick completion on this important one
– We pushed for a better timeline when the argument was strongest
– We worked with the relevant stakeholders
Dinner3
– Great (new!) flavors
– Quite impressively from scratch
– Rambunctious, beautiful, hilarious children
– Good friend
– Weather change: cooler, windy, rainy (brief hail), thunder
It is astounding how simple it can be to cultivate happiness. Each time I encounter another way to increase happiness and improve well-being I am awed by the simplicity of the action required and the largess of the result. Dr. Seligman, a positive psychologist, suggests the following for a better life:
“Every night for the next week, set aside ten minutes before you go to sleep. Write down three things that went well today and why they went well.”
I’ve done similar reflections before for the purpose of synopsizing the day, reevaluating present exhaustion, mitigating negative thoughts, or simple journaling. Intuitively and experientially I know that this type of reflection is undeniably positive and that it takes a negligible amount of time. So why don’t I use this beneficial exercise consistently?
A minor commitment to myself: set aside 10 minutes to reflect on three things every day starting today.
It would probably be beneficial to copy the idea motivated by the image linked below. The individual has selected and photographed meaningful combinations of his clothing. While I’m not particularly vain, it is clear that engaging with my wardrobe would help me to rid myself of what is numerically a nightmare of items. I have a bizarre assortment of pre-college/marriage/grad school/etc. clothing.
I’ve encountered many pieces of advice about wardrobe reduction over the years and the perspective was always negative. This series of photographs focuses on the positive aspect of intentionally selecting combinations of clothing. It seems to me that it would be easy to replace damaged or over-worn items with relative ease when necessary because it would be clear what part of your wardrobe had been lost. I also imagine that this would keep my closet from becoming too unruly because I would truly know what was in there.
[Troy, I found this and had to share it here. This is a great memory.]
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