Leonard, who always makes my personal happy for now list

It’s that time of the week when I share what’s making me happy for now in the hopes that some of the things will make you happy for now as well. It’s been a long, exhausting week, so this exercise of looking for what little things are making me happy has been a particularly crucial one. I guess it’s my version of a gratitude practice.

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Freshly Baked Bread

My husband recently surprised me with this fancy Zojirushi bread machine1 that got top ratings on Wirecutter. I’d had a bread machine back in the early years of our marriage, but it made weirdly shaped loaves and I got away from using it. This one has loaves that are more usable as sandwich bread.

I love that once I measure the ingredients and put them in, all I have to do is hit the start button and then 3-4 hours later, I have a great loaf of bread and my kitchen smells like a bakery.

The downside is the teen has gotten used to having fresh bread for his school lunch sandwiches for the last two weeks, so now I’ll be making fresh turkey AND fresh bread every Sunday, lol.

But if you don’t have a bread machine and still want some bread joy, I have an easy quick bread that you can make in a loaf pan that will definitely make you happy for now.

This chocolate chip banana bread recipe from Rachel Ray has been my go-to for probably a decade. No other banana bread recipe I’ve tried has lived up to this one. It’s tender and chocolatey and stays moist for days—if it lasts that long. I made a loaf yesterday morning and it’s already half gone (which is why this photo only shows half!)

A Jar-Opening Update

In last week’s list, I talked about improving my grip strength because I was having trouble opening jars. Well, y’all really had some great comments and tips for helping me with the jars. Thank you!

A few of you mentioned breaking the vacuum seal with a butter knife or something, which got me thinking. I’d bought jar-opening assisting devices before (that only worked some of the time) but I had never looked for one that specifically breaks the vacuum seal. So I went on a search and found this—the JarKey.

As soon as it was delivered, I took out that jar of salsa that even my son couldn’t open, and, lo and behold, this little tool popped the seal with no effort. It felt like an infomercial moment, lol. So, I’m excited that even though I’m going to continue to strengthen my grip for other reasons, I now have a tool to get the damn jars open. :)

Creative commons via pixabayA Slice of Calm

I don’t talk politics here because they do not make me happy for now—or pretty much ever. However, it can be hard to maintain any sense of calm or focus in the world these days with all the noise. Many, many of my coaching sessions have had this theme lately. Many digital detoxes have been prescribed.

Personally, one of the things I’ve turned to for calm is reading philosophy (which sounds pretentious, but if you find the right sources, it can be really accessible and helpful.) One of my go-to sources for translating philosophy into real-world usefulness is Ryan Holiday, who focuses on Stoicism.

He wrote a post this week that really gave me some sense of calm, so I’m passing it along in case it may offer you the same. He offers a list of suggestions such as focusing on what we can control, reading old (history) books instead of watching the news because history has patterns and lessons, treating people well, contributing to his local community, refusing to become cynical, etc. It’s a thoughtful and practical guide for finding some footing if you’re feeling overwhelmed.

Alright, that’s all I have for you today! I hope you have a great Super Bowl Sunday. I’ll be watching at home with the kiddo because my husband will actually be at the game (his company sent him) so I’ll be waving to him from afar. This is a pic he sent me yesterday from the French Quarter. My introverted self is NOT jealous.

Did you have anything that made you happy for now this week? I’d love to hear!

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