healthy you
JO Y
told his tamily he knew he was going t
when he SEW Hie come through the d
My neighbor was
having a heart attack,
and as a volunteer
firefighter and medic
I was the first on
the scene. T
took his
vitals and stayed
with him until the
paramedics arrived
and transported him
to the hospital. Later,
he told his family he
knew he wras going to
be OK when he saw
me come through the
door. That put joy in
my heart It still does.
More than 10 years
later, I often see him
out on walks through
our neighborhood and
he always waves.
Doris Lohrman
editorial a ssista n t,
fe a tu re s and fam ily
m atters
(
LESS IS MORE
“Imagine listening to your favorite song and
then rating it on a scale of one to 10. Now' listen
to your second most favorite song and rate it on
the same scale. In all likelihood, you gave them
both a perfect or near-perfect score. Now play
the songs at the same time. The experience is
not a 20 or a 10, but noise,” says Ben-Shahar,
who is also a Harvard psychology professor.
“There can be too much of a good thing.” So
while it’s good to pursue moments of joy, keep
in mind joy is a precious commodity best
enjoyed in small helpings, like the finest dark
chocolate (an appropriate comparison since,
for many, dark chocolate is joy solidified).
BE RICHLY BLESSED
“The experience of gratitude is incompatible
with negative emotions,” says Lyubomirsky.
“Gratitude makes you feel more charitable
toward the world in general.” Most people
equate gratitude with thank-you notes, but
Lyubomirsky defines it as an appreciation for
life and fortunate circumstances. People in
one of her research studies w'ere asked to
contribute to a personal gratitude journal.
Those who did it three times a week or more
reported greater feelings of happiness than
those w'ho only did it once. “Just the act of
sitting down and writing them made people
feel better,” she says. Recognizing the blessings
in your life is rich food for joy.
was
, i reached behind my head, one arm at a time,
_
jtarted yo move through the QclrK Wclt^T
swimming! i felt triumphant i w&
I was the only Girl Scout at camp who couldn’t swim and it really hot
night I went to bed in my swimsuit and waited for everyone else to fall ask
could practice my strokes in solitude. Beneath die light of a full moon, I
die lake, lay on my back, and pushed off a rock with my feet For die
began to float. Then I reached behind my head, one arm at a time, anc
move through the dark water. I was swimming! 1 felt triumphant I was 7.
Kristi Chew'
a ssista n t m an agin g editor
2 0 4 BO MBER 2008 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
