Month: January 2018

Categories
Make a Difference

Make a Difference: Shake Up Your Valentine’s Day Spending in 2018

Homemade Valentine

Last year, I wrote about shaking up your Valentine’s Day spending, focusing on how those of us who exchange traditional Valentine’s Day gifts can think about ways to spend that make a difference in the world. I also mentioned the importance of not giving people the gift of a Valentine’s Day guilt-trip. If you believe that Valentine’s Day is just a commercial holiday and your significant other is really into Valentine’s Day, for heaven’s sake, be willing to go against your principles a little to celebrate the day with them. It’s hard to be loving when you’re busy be self-righteous.

While most of the links in last year’s post are still good, I wanted to update the post for 2018.

Restaurants

I didn’t write about restaurants at all last year, which was an oversight. After all, in the United States, Valentine’s Day is second only to Mother’s Day when it comes to eating out. If you decide not to eat at home on Valentine’s Day, consider making reservations at an independent restaurant owned by someone who could use your support this year. Unhappy with anti-immigrant sentiments that have become all too common over the past couple of years? Look for immigrant-owned restaurants in your area. Concerned about the environment? Go to a good farm-to-table restaurant. Want to help people up and out of poverty? Consider patronizing a restaurant with a mission to do just that. And if you had a good experience, consider taking the time to post a positive review online.

Chocolate

All the fair-trade confectioners I mentioned last year — Lucky Chocolates, Mama Ganache, and Lake Champlain — have Valentine’s Day offerings this year, too. In addition, you may want to consider one of Chuao Chocolatier’s gift boxes or collections.

Jewelry

As I was doing research for this article, I ended up learning a bit more about ethical sources for diamonds. I found one online shop that made some great claims about the sources behind its jewelry, but when I tried to verify the claims the company made, I ran across an article that threw some doubt on them. The article led me to CanadaMark diamonds, sustainable diamonds that can be traced from mine to final product and which are sold exclusively by James Allen. It seems to me that if you are planning on giving diamond jewelry for Valentine’s Day, this could be an excellent source.

An alternative, of course, would be to present your significant other with jewelry that already has a history — whether it is something from your family that has been passed on to you or something you purchased at an antique store.

Flowers

In addition to the ideas I shared last year, I’ve found two online retailers with beautiful arrangements and a commitment to ethical sourcing. Farmgirl Flowers tries to source from U.S. growers as much as possible, although they’ve had to create partnerships with international growers as well in order to continue to grow their business. The Bouqs Company partners directly with U.S. and South American farms; by cutting out the middleman, they can pay the farmers more than they would otherwise make. Each bouquet available online actually features the farmer who provides the flowers.

Zero Waste Ideas

As I was doing research for this post, I stumbled across this article on zero-waste Valentine’s Day gifts, including giving bulk candy in jars. I would encourage you not to give away candy corn in jars, but that’s just me.

Disclaimer

When I watched The Chocolate Case last year, it drove home how difficult it can be for well-meaning people to bring fair-trade merchandise to market. I still believe in buying fair-trade when possible, but keep in mind that not all suppliers follow the rules. Also, I have not used all of the retailers I mention here. I’ve discovered many of them solely through research.

I’m taking a break from blogging to spend time with a loved one. I will return to my weekly posts on Monday, Feb. 5.

 

 

 

Categories
Something Wonderful

Something Wonderful: Joy Lists

Lilacs bring me joy
What brings you joy?

Recently a friend of mine reposted her “joy list” on Facebook. She first posted it a few years ago after I asked people to share their lists with me. Not only did she repost her list this week, but she decided to let it inspire her day. Since baking, the smell of cinnamon, and tea were on her list, she made cinnamon raisin bran muffins and had them with tea. As soon as I read that, I knew I should blog about joy lists.

A joy list is exactly what the name suggests: a list of things that bring you joy. It isn’t the same as a list of simple pleasures, although if your list doesn’t include many simple pleasures, you probably don’t get much joy out of life. Some of the things on your list may be free, like a walk on a summer night, and others maybe expensive, like travel. Some of the things, like baking, will be within your control. Others may be completely outside of your control, like waking up to a foggy morning. And over the years, your list will evolve. When I was a new mom, I added “getting to take a shower” to my list. As my child grew, I started taking showers for granted again.

Creating a joy list in and of itself can bring you joy as you reflect on the many wonderful things you’ve experienced and can continue to enjoy. And, like my friend, it may prompt you to do more of the things that bring you joy.

But don’t just stop with your list. There’s still more joy to be found in encouraging others to create their own lists and share some of their joys with you. It made me happy to see my friend reflecting on the things that bring her joy and incorporating some of those things in her day. Reading about the things that bring others joy also can prompt me to add new things to my own list. Sometimes it can even give me ideas for gifts for my loved ones.

This week, I encourage you to start your own joy list, share part of your list with others, and encourage your friends and family to create and share their own lists. Here are some of the things on my list to inspire you:

  • Folk festivals
  • Farmers markets
  • Clean sheets
  • The northern lights
  • Full-blown roses
  • Steel drums
  • The smell of a snuffed-out candle
  • Carlsbad Caverns
  • A walk on a summer night
  • Fireflies
  • Crawling into bed when I’m really tired
  • A foggy morning
  • A sincere compliment
  • Fireworks
  • Bagpipes
  • Waking up naturally and feeling well-rested
  • Tea with a friend
  • The Minnesota Renaissance Festival
  • Singing a really good hymn (e.g., “Be Thou My Vision”)
  • My dog’s love for me
  • Lilacs
  • Red-winged blackbirds
  • Looking out on fresh, new snow and knowing that I don’t have to go out in it
  • Travel to beautiful places (ranging from national parks to Rome, Italy)
  • A good book
  • Time to wander in an art museum like the Met or the National Gallery of Art

Please share some of your joys in the comments!

 

Categories
Make a Difference

Make a Difference: Read The Little Book of Lykke

The Little Book of Lykke

Meik Wiking first received attention in the United States as the author of The Little Book of Hygge. Hygge, a Danish concept associated with coziness, recently had a moment in the U.S. and U.K., though it’s already considered a bit passé. (For the record, as a summer-lover in a state with long, bitter winters, I’m a hygge fan.) Now Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, has a new book: The Little Book of Lykke: Secrets of the World’s Happiest People.

While The Little Book of Hygge contains statistics, including more than you may want to know about Danish candle usage, it is relatively lightweight; however, The Little Book of Lykke is based on extensive research. It’s full of statistics and stories related to enhancing happiness. Don’t let the statistics scare you off; it’s a fast, fun read.

If you are familiar with Dan Buettner’s happiness research, much of what Wiking says about happiness won’t surprise you. Health, financial well-being, kindness and community are common themes in happiness research. In an ideal world, you’d read what both of them have to say on happiness. Both have done extensive research on the subject and have plenty of practical tips to offer on the subject. But if you read only one book on happiness, make it The Little Book of Lykke. In a short period of time you’ll come away with several ideas for improving your happiness… and the happiness of others.

These practical ideas are the reason I’m writing about this as a way to make a difference. If you’ve read my previous posts, you know that I think personal happiness can support making a difference, and the book includes several easy ways you can improve your happiness. But there are also things to strive for over the long-term that can make your community a happier place. People of different political persuasions can easily embrace some of these ideas, such as getting to know your neighbors. But others might challenge your stand on certain issues. For instance, since both health and financial security affect happiness, it makes sense to support universal health care. Wiking spells it out in his chapter on health:

As a happiness researcher, I cannot see a more obvious policy to improve quality of life than that of providing universal health care. In the Nordic countries, all of which consistently rank among the ten happiest countries in the world, free health care is available to everyone. People in these countries simply have less to worry about in daily life than most other people on this front, and that forms a sound basis for high levels of happiness.

The Little Book of Lykke was only recently released in the United States; you may have to wait a while if you want to check it out from the library. Whether you borrow it or buy it, I highly recommend taking the time to read this book.

Categories
Something Wonderful

Something Wonderful: Cabin Pressure

small plane

 

Several months ago, one of my coworkers mentioned how much he loved a BBC radio series called Cabin Pressure. It took just one episode to make me a fan.

Cabin Pressure is British humor (sorry, humour) at its best. It’s made up of 27 episodes, each named for a destination. The story involves a charter airline, MJN (My Jet Now), with one airplane and four crew members. Stephanie Cole plays Carolyn Knapp-Shappey, the tight-fisted owner who’s trying to keep the airline afloat. Benedict Cumberbatch is the airline’s pilot, Martin Crieff. Having worked hard to attain his dream, his rank means everything to him, and he’s frustrated when people assume first officer Douglas Richardson is the pilot. In fact, Douglas (Roger Allam) is a seasoned pilot, but he’s lucky to have his job; he was fired from a previous job for smuggling. John Finnemore rounds out the cast as Carolyn’s son, Arthur, who serves as steward.

My favorite characters are almost polar opposites in terms of intelligence. Douglas is very clever and very full of himself, and I couldn’t help but love him for his playful sense of humor. There are few things he enjoys more than playing a good game on the flight deck, such as inserting as many Hitchcock titles as possible into a flight announcement.

Arthur, on the other hand, is extremely dim, though he occasionally surprises everyone with a good idea. While I love Douglas for his wit, Arthur quickly won me over with his enthusiasm and optimism.

It took me a while to warm up to Martin. He can be an annoying stickler for rules. You can just imagine him as a kid, standing on the fringe of a group of misbehaving peers and saying, “You guyyyyys. Stop! We’re going to get in TROUble.” Unfortunately, I’m probably more like Martin than any of the other characters, which may be why I prefer Douglas and Arthur. Martin grew on me as I got to know him better over the course of several episodes, and by the end, I came to love him almost as much as Douglas and Arthur.

Carolyn was another character I had to warm up to. Although she is occasionally playful, she generally comes across as cheap and irritable. But as you learn about her struggles to keep her airplane from her ex-husband, and as she begins a very odd relationship with Herc, a captain from another airline, Carolyn becomes more human and easier to sympathize with.

More than anything, Cabin Pressure has made me a fan of Finnemore, who not only played Arthur but wrote the script. To quote Arthur, Finnemore is “brilliant” — a very funny man.

Cabin Pressure may be available at your local library; otherwise, you can buy a compact disc set from retailers such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble. It’s a bit pricey, but definitely worth it.