A secret to happiness: "Be a storehouse of happy memories."

Today is the Big Girl's last day of second grade. She's thrilled, but for me, as always with these milestones, it's bitter-sweet. The days are long, but the years are short.

One of my resolutions is to "Be a storehouse of happy memories," and one tradition that I started years ago, almost accidentally, was taking a photograph on the first and last day of school each year. I have the Big Girl (and starting next year, the Little Girl) hold up a sign that says "Last day of second grade -- June 14, 2007" or whatever.

It makes a great keepsake. I wish that I'd been organized enough to start a special photo album, just with these pictures, so we could more easily see the changes over the years. I didn't think to do that, so they're just sprinkled in the albums among the other pictures, but they're still fun to see.

Research shows that a good way to boost happiness is to reflect on happy times in the past, and looking at photographs -- or any other memento -- is a good way to prompt your recollections.

Also, although taking a photo is easy and takes only a second, the tradition of making the sign and taking the photograph adds a little bit to the special quality of these first/last days, and that's important to me, because I want my children to understand the importance of school.

I make extra copies and send them off to the grandparents, too. So little work, so many happiness resolutions fulfilled!

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It occurs to me that this post is Parent-Hack-ish, so if you like this sort of thing, be sure to check out Parent Hacks, which has a million ideas for making it easier to be a parent. A recent favorite hack of mine: ask your kids to do their pouring over the open dishwasher door. The door makes a good surface, just the right height, and any spills are contained and cleaned up when you run the dishwasher.

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Comments

[Kaci]

Gretchen - This reminds me of a project you suggested back in March - keeping a one sentence journal. Such a simple way to record memories (especially since I have a bad memory too!).

I went a little further with my one sentence journal and made sure I wrote down a positive moment that happened to me every day... today is day 90 for me. =D For almost three solid months, I have written down something, well, happy!

I had to add some rules, because I knew I'd find ways on my bad days to make the happy thing seem small (like: No voiding out the happy thing by adding a negative thing. The example I gave to my sister who recently graduated from high school: Today, I graduated from high school... BUT I have to go back for a week of school.)

It's helped too. Before, I wrote only negative thoughts in my little book, but now - I've got 90 happy memories to look back on (granted, some days read: "Today it rained instead of snowed")! I even got my sister and mom involved, because we all sorta needed something to make us see the bright side of EVERY day.

Thanks for the ideas and keep 'em comin'!

[Helen]

Gretchen,
Would you ever be willing to share your resolutions? It has been helpful for me to see your commandments but I've realized that your resolutions are a different extension of those 12 statements. I like to hear about the resolutions but I don't yet have a framework or a way to think about them... which of course would help me to work out my own system. Thanks, Helen

[Gretchen Rubin]

Kaci -- zoikes, what a great idea! I will definitely give that a try. You have a better track record than I do -- I am not at 100% compliance with my one-sentence journal. It's weird, I'll keep it for two weeks, then it flies out of my head and I miss four days without thinking of it once. I now have the "Hassle Me" website prompting me to remember, however. I want to try your approach, too. All the research would say that your habit will make you much happier -- now and in the future, when you look back at your journal.

Helen -- I'm so glad you asked! As I write this, a friend of mine who is a great graphic designer is fixing up my resolution charts, to make them look nicer than what I could do with my lame Word skills. Once that's ready, I'll put a note on my site, so that anyone who'd be interested in seeing my resolutions can email me for a copy. All of us need to come up with our own priorities for our individual Happiness Projects, but I think it might help to see mine, for inspiration. I used Benjamin Franklin's virtue charts to get me started. I hope to get this done by next week.

[nand]

Gretchen,
must congratulate you for devising very simple ways to make happiness.lot of learning
is flowing by your honest attempts to keep happiness flowing.

an easy thing hardly practiced like keeping record in writings and photographs of happy
moments can make life enriched and happy and
you brought out it beautifully in your post.

will be in touch sure for my own happiness as
am myself wandering here and there in domain
of happiness.

wishing you happy life