One Thing You Should Always Celebrate

A friend of mine gave a fabulous party recently at a glamorous spot in Manhattan. A well-known actress, she sang a clever ballad of love songs to her husband—and two hundred or so guests toasted with champagne, indulged in a fancy dinner, and danced to a big band. The joyous night happened because the actress and her husband were celebrating the anniversary of…their first kiss.

If that sounds a little crazy, I get it. A first kiss in not usually a reason to throw a blow-out party. But there was such fun and happiness all evening that I had to think—why not?

We all have many reasons to worry and despair right now, but when someone tells us it’s okay to dress up for a night and celebrate, you almost feel a sense of relief. A lot is out of our control and we may even feel a little guilty about having fun—but we need that positivity if we are going to go on and make our lives, and the lives of others, any better.

With her big personality and talent for setting a scene, my party-giving friend asked everyone to wear something red to the evening.

“I can’t believe how many people did it,” she said looking around the colorful room during the hors d’oeuvres.

“Nobody would dare ignore you!” joked a man in a beautiful red blazer (purchased at Goodwill, he said) and red leather shoes.

The color brought its own joy. Who can be unhappy decked out in a bright color? I wore a navy dress but the red scarf and red belt I bought for the occasion made me feel instantly festive.

Our brains are always getting information from our environment on how to feel—and what you wear sends a message to yourself as much as to others. Your brain is a prediction machine, and if it finds you in jeans and a hoodie, it predicts that nothing important is happening. When it finds something new and exciting—a red scarf!—it gets the message to perk up and pay attention.

Sometimes a party is just a party, but this time it was also a wonderful lesson. Whatever else is going on, life is better if you find a reason to put on festive clothes, drink champagne and express gratitude to the person you love.

Here’s an idea: Pour something bubbly tonight (seltzer is fine) into a fancy glass and make a toast to a moment that has made you happy. Simply doing that will reset your body and mind and give you a way to feel more positive.

Celebrate whenever you can. Celebrate everything you can.

Cheers to more happiness.

On a recent trip to the Galapagos, I went snorkeling every day and was thrilled to cavort with baby sea lions who wanted to play, swim behind a large sea turtle, and marvel at the colorful schools of fish inches away. We traveled on a small boat with 30 other people, visiting different islands and enjoying close-up encounters with birds and iguanas. On the first day, I walked on the white sand of one of the islands, talking to an older medical researcher I had just met who also happened to be an evolutionary biologist. I thought he would want to discuss Darwin—but instead he paused and looked out at the blue sky and sunshine and the majesty of that particularly beautiful island.

“What I think about here is gratitude,” he said. “The magic and mystery of the world. I’m so grateful for it.”

I hadn’t expected to discuss gratitude in the Galapagos, but my new friend thought that the power of nature changes us. His view reminded me to imbue every moment of the trip with gratitude for being there. Then he did quote Darwin:

“There is grandeur in this view of life,” he said with a smile and then added, “Isn’t that what it’s all about?”

With my new friend the marine iguana.

I’m excited to report that my book WHAT YOUR BODY KNOWS ABOUT HAPPINESS will be out in paperback in early June with a gorgeous new cover. More on that to come, as well as many more thoughts and ideas of increasing happiness every day.

Please share this newsletter with friends. It’s always free!

Love,

Janice