The topic of happiness came up in a recent Davis Phinney CarePartner meetup. Connie Carpenter Phinney, Davis’s wife and CarePartner, mentioned a book she had recently read by Oprah Winfrey and Arthur Brooks on finding happiness in your life. After the meeting was over, I googled the book and learned that the name of it is “Build the Life You Want” with the subtitle, “The Art and Science of Getting Happier.” Is there really a scientific method for finding happiness no matter what life throws at me? Is it worth exploring?

Happiness is not something I spend much time thinking about. I have moments during my day when I catch myself smiling about something, but they come and go so quickly. What makes me happy? It may be the birds in the trees when I go out for a walk, it may be the squirrels playing in our backyard, it may be my cat sleeping in the sun. It always happens when I wake in the morning and feel my husband next to me, that knowledge that we have another day to share together regardless of the struggles. Happiness hits, then passes as I move through the constant construct of my day. The things I have to do that bring neither joy or sadness, they simply bring satisfaction and contentment.

Could a book help me find more happiness to share with my husband as we face this disease together? I don’t know, but I think I am going to give it a try. I don’t read self-help books, choosing instead to read mysteries that help me escape my life, not things encouraging me to improve it. I think it might be a good time to give it a try. It might work and at the very least I’ll get a different perspective on living a happier life.