Recently, as I was stuck in Houston Intercontinental Airport for two days (good luck with that one girls!), I read the book The Happiness Project. In The Happiness Project, the author, who is neither depressed nor going through a mid-life crisis and who is reasonably happy, sets out to dedicate a year to trying to be happier. Inspired by Ben Franklin's Chart of 13 Virtues, the author designed her own chart to monitor her progress. I decided my own version of a chart would be a good way to daily prepare for our upcoming trip to New York City.
For my version, I chose only six "virtues": proofs of love (you'd have to read the book), de-clutter, tackle a nagging chore, diet, steps (I'll post about this another day), and exercise. I'm sure you're wondering how on earth any of this helps prepare for New York.
To begin The Happiness Project, the author decided to focus the first month on Vitality. I, too, thought Vitality would be a good focus as we prepare for an intense trip to The Big Apple. We are going to be up early, out late, and going full-force in between. Let's face it, I'm six years older than the last time I went, and I don't want my mother who is twice my age to outrun me. Obviously, diet and exercise will help boost physical energy, but the author, interestingly enough, also addresses mental energy: outer order yields inner peace. With that in mind, I have cleaned my closet, pantry, and dresser, hung pictures that have laid around for months, donated clothes to the Crisis Center, and gotten out my Easter decorations.
I'm about fifty-fifty on my virtues chart. Oddly enough, I'm doing better on the mental energy aspect than the physical energy. While diet is so-so, I have hardly exercised at all with the exception of a minor game of soccer. Oh well, it's something to strive for.
How are you getting in shape for New York?
Let's go walking!
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