Bookstores make me happy

Last night, my son and I went out for dinner and then to the bookstore.  He just recently returned home from spending two years in Mexico as a missionary.  He is anxious to start reading in English.  So we took a look around.  We each bought a couple of books.  I got Muriel Barbery's newest book, Gourmet Rhapsody.  I loved The Elegance of the Hedgehog, so we'll see if I like this new one.

I think bookstores are such great, comforting places--especially on a cold, rainy fall day like today.  I'm in here, working on my laptop via free wifi, which is pretty awesome.  The bookstore in my neighborhood is a real community hangout--you're apt to find several of your neighbors and/or their kids wandering around.

I love browsing around, looking at titles, picking up a few that look interesting and maybe reading a page or two, to see if they're any good before I buy.  Here's a few interesting titles I found:  The Art of Happiness, by the Dalai Lama, 10th anniversary edition.

Here's what the Dalai Lama says (on the back jacket of the book): "Many years ago, I wrote, "If you want others to be happy, practice compassion; and if you want yourself to be happy, practice compassion."  The Buddhist tradition has, like many of the world's great spiritual traditions, exhorted us to live our lives compassionately.  These spiritual traditions teach us to feel connected with our fellow beings and with the world we live in.  They celebrate service to others as one of the highest virtues.  Today, growing scientific data confirms this insight.  Researchers on human happiness identify compassionate service to others to be one of the key characteristics shared by many of the world's happiest people."

I really believe that.  My church is totally focused on compassionate service, especially the Women's group.  And my experience, through the years, has led me to understand that when I get outside myself and serve others, I am definitely happier.

Another book title that grabbed my attention today: "Thin is the new Happy", a memoir by Valerie Frankel.  I like memoirs.  I haven't read this, but the back cover sounds like any woman who has struggled with their weight can relate to this book.  I'm not convinced that thin equals happiness.  My weight has gone up and down over the years, and although I admit to being happier with the way I LOOK when I'm thinner, I certainly don't think all my problems went away just because I was thin. I think the things you DO to become thin (such as eat healthier and exercise) cause you to feel better, body and soul, and the way you look is just a nice byproduct.  Too bad our society puts so much emphasis on how you look.   When I was thinner, I received countless compliments, heralding my weight loss as though I had achieved some spectacular feat.  In reality, I was at a very unhappy spot in my life.  It got to the point where I really hated people making comments about it all the time.  So I gained back some of the weight.  Now people don't bug me so much!