The Secret to Happiness? Book Review: "The Geography of Bliss"

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@Barrie Summy

Are you happy?? It's hard to pick up a magazine these days without an article titled something like "10 Secrets to Happiness" or "Finding Your Inner Joy." Bookstore shelves are filled with books promoting ways to becoming a happier person. Even before the bad economy caused society's spirits to plummet, Americans have been obsessed with finding happiness in our lives. Eric Weiner in The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World takes a somewhat different approach. Rather than focusing on the individual and helping him or her change his outlook on life, Weiner, a journalist, sets out to find what factors help to create a positive environment for happiness.

Weiner, a self-confessed curmudgeon, points out his name is--appropriately enough--pronounced Whin-er and that as a child his favorite character in Winnie-the-Pooh was Eeyore. He decides to spend a year traveling the globe in search of places where people are considered happy to find out the secret to this elusive feeling.

He visits places like Bhutan, very similar in appearance to the mythical Shangri-La, where the government places more importance on its policy of Gross National Happiness than on the GNP. The Netherlands, Switzerland, Thailand, Great Britain, and India are other stops in his quest. In each country Weiner finds some clues to that nation's general feeling of happiness, but no definitive answers and often contradictory ideas.

For example, in tiny Qatar, perhaps the wealthiest nation in the world, Weiner finds that money does not guarantee happiness. The oil-rich Qataris have everything they could possibly want--and then some--but their lives are filled with family squabbles and insecurity. When Weiner returns home to the U.S., he finds a similar situation. Despite the fact that we are the "wealthiest nation ever," the U.S. ranks, according to one study, as the 23rd happiest nation in the world.

On the other hand, poverty-stricken nations rank low on the happiness scale, as one might expect. Weiner visits one such nation purposely to contrast with happier states. The small nation of Moldova, once part of the Soviet Union, is a poor country with what appears to be a very depressed population. Yet, it isn't just the lack of money that causes this unhappiness, Weiner finds, but also the fact that Moldova seems to have no cultural identity.

One of the happiest nations surprisingly is the country of Iceland, which Weiner visits during the eternal darkness of winter. Here he finds some of the most novel ideas of his trip. Icelanders are proud of their language and their culture, two important factors in a nation's happiness, but they also demonstrate a lack of envy and have no fear of failure, both of which seem to promote contentment.

I enjoyed Weiner's humorous touches and his skepticism about many of the theories he found. He is a good sport, willing to try anything to experience local customs whether it is smoking Moroccan hash in a Dutch "coffee shop" or tasting the Icelandic delicacy of rotten shark. While he dives into the local culture, he doesn't necessarily embrace it. In India, for example, his experience in an ashram is disappointing; he feels no spiritual enlightenment, but is more concerned that he has to give up coffee for three days. As a fellow caffeine addict, I can empathize.

The Geography of Bliss is a book of substance, not pop psychology. Weiner includes quotes from philosophers and a great deal of evidence from various research studies on happiness to support or contradict the theories he encounters. One of my favorite excerpts is near the end of the book, when he realizes that there is no such thing as paradise on earth.

One man's paradise can be another's hell, and the converse holds true as
well. When European missionaries first landed in Greenland several centuries
ago, intent on converting the pagan natives to Christianity, they offered the
usual carrot-and stick approach: Convert and you get a shot at heaven; don't ,
and you will be condemned to an eternity in hell.

"What is this hell like?" asked the curious Greenlanders.

"Oh it is very, very hot," replied the missionaries. "It is hot all of
the time."

The Greenlanders surveyed the frozen Arctic tundra that was their home
and replied, "We'll take hell, thank you."

In the end, Weiner finds no definitive answers to the secret of happiness--though he does share some hypotheses--and isn't necessarily any happier than he was before he began his quest. Yet he does find that his attitude towards many things in life have changed for the better. In the same way, as I read his book I found myself contemplating my own life and whether I was happy. I have always thought of myself as a "glass half-empty" sort of person and once thought that only a big, new 3 1/2-bathroom house was necessary for my personal happiness. But I see things differently now than before: I will probably never live in that beautiful new house, but you know what? I don't care. I realize it is the simple things that bring me joy and make me happy. A good book, a fresh cup of strong coffee, and a little chocolate bring me pleasure. Beyond that there are the most important things in life:

Family

Friends

A group of my high school classmates met for dinner last week, the first time many of us had seen each other in nearly 20 years. What fun to reminisce and catch up on each others' lives!

New Year's Eve was also special, as we ushered in the new year in our traditional way with a toast along with two dear friends.

Friends with four legs and unconditional love and devotion.

And, of course, my Garden!

Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

All book reviews posted here are solely at the whim of this blogger. No remuneration of any kind was given for this review.

ABC Wednesday and The First Snowfall

For this week's ABC Wednesday's letter Y, I had planned to post my New Year's resolutions. But then I started thinking, would anybody really want to read them? I doubt it, since they are the usual--go on a diet, eat healthier, exercise regularly, etc. etc.--and I've usually abandoned them by January 31 anyway.

I'm not feeling very creative this week, so how about a little frozen Yarrow instead?

And while we're at it, I could show you some pictures of our Yuletide snow. Yes, that's the best subject for today; besides, this will give me a chance to also participate in

Nancy's "First Snowfall Project."

The first appreciable accumulation of snow fell here in central Illinois on Christmas Day. The flakes became larger and heavier as the afternoon turned into night and continued over the next two days. In all, we had probably around two inches of snow--just enough to create a blanket of white. When the winds picked up, the fluffy flakes created some problems, making the country roads "snow-packed and hazardous" (the news' term for "be careful!") and keeping Hubby busy for three long nights driving a snowplow.

For the Midwest, however, this was a mild snowfall. Unlike our Southern neighbors and those in the Northwest, we Illinoisans are used to snow, and our highway departments are prepared for it. Salt trucks and snowplows are out round the clock until the highways are clear. Fortunately, the weather had little impact on Christmas travel.

There is something magical about that first snowfall. While not as pretty as our first in '08, which occured a month earlier, there was still beauty to be found all around. The small flowering crabapple tree, a favorite haunt of the birds, took on a new look.

The few remaining red berries made a bright contrast to the blinding white of the snow.

A covering of white turns tree trunks into winter sculptures.

The old gnarled apple tree shows its character.

Needless to say, there was frost on the pumpkins. No, these were not part of my Christmas decorations. My children often tease me, "Just how long are you going to leave those pumpkins out, Mom?" My answer to them now is, "As soon as it gets warm enough so this one's no longer stuck to the step!"

Frozen pansies probably need to be added to the compost pile, too. I doubt if they will be in bloom for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day:)

Nor will anything else in my garden be blooming by mid-January.

Coneflowers stand at attention . . .

. . . their furry white winter chapeaux now completely covering their ears and faces.

Surprisingly, the roses still show some green foliage in spite of the chill.

Golden Retrievers must be related somehow to Siberian Huskies. Sophie seems undaunted by the cold and loves the snow, whether making doggy snow angels or searching for buried treasure underneath. It poured down rain on Christmas Eve, so that when the temperature dropped the next day and the snow began, puddles froze into a sheet of ice underneath the snowy cover.

One never knows what you might find underneath it all, a nice chewy stick or perhaps that toy left outside this fall. If nothing else, Sophie finds the snow quite tasty.

Even the weeds still standing behind the farm outbuildings

have a certain charm surrounded by white.

I have been trying to identify some of these weeds--er, wildflowers--since this summer and hope to show them in bloom one of these cold winter days.

I can tell you the name of this one, however--it's the noxious cockleburr. Innocent as it looks here, its pesky stickiness is to be avoided at all costs while dog-walking.

The bright winter sun creates interesting shadows and sparkles in the snow. Although we have seen the sun for most of the past week, we certainly haven't felt it--temperatures have been hovering near 0 F. each morning.

Cornstalks stand frozen in place until the spring thaw when the fields will be worked again. I feel sorry for those farmers who might still have some unharvested corn--I can't imagine working in the fields in this weather.



And finally, my post on the first snowfall wouldn't be complete without a photo of frozen fennel once again. You may remember I wrote a poem about it and the rest of my flowers in the winter garden a few weeks ago. Since then, Brenda at Rinkly Rimes, the Muse for that poem, has posted a much better poem which can be found here. Do check it out!

The first snowfall is always beautiful and a marvel, but I can assure you in a few weeks I will be ready for spring!

For other ABC posts, hosted by Mrs. Nesbitt, you can click here.

Also check out Nancy Bond's "First Snowfall Project" here--and why not join in?!

Christmas Reflections

I'm so glad it's the Christmas season, because otherwise I surely wouldn't have had an idea for this week's letter X. I hope that you all had a very merry Christmas, or as some people would say, Merry Xmas!

Somehow, though, a wish for a happy Xmas just doesn't have the same ring to it. To me, Xmas sounds like a generic version of Christmas--Brand X, if you will. When I was younger I was taught that we should never use this term, that it was taking "Christ" out of "Christmas." But later I learned that isn't necessarily true.

The labarum above (photo taken from Wikipedia) is a Christian symbol for Christ. Often called the Chi-Rho, it is formed from the Greek letters X and P, which were abbreviations for the Greek word for "Christ." So, the term "Xmas" is actually a Christian term, too. And yet, I much prefer using the word Christmas.

I try to avoid discussing religion and politics here, but I can't help making a comment today, and I hope that no one is offended by it. Not everyone celebrates Christmas, of course, and I respect other people's beliefs. However, I hope that we never get so concerned with being "PC" that Christmas trees are no longer allowed in public spaces nor that retailers are no longer allowed to wish their customers a "Merry Christmas." I hope that others will see these gestures not as an attempt to foist religious beliefs on others, but take them in the spirit in which they were intended--a wish for peace and good will among all people.

And now I'll get off my soapbox and share a few scenes from our Christmas celebrations this year.

My wish for a white Christmas came a day late, but that was fortunate because it didn't affect our plans for family get-togethers.

The four older grandchildren came over a few days before Christmas for a cookie-baking session. The table was covered with plastic, sugar cookie dough portioned out for each to roll and cut out, and plenty of frosting and sprinkles available for their masterpieces.

Oldest Grandson really got into the spirit. But at one point in the decorating, this became a contest to see just who could put the most frosting on one cookie.

I think he won:)

Younger Granddaughter takes such activities very seriously

and even brought her own chef's apron for the day.

She was so proud of her creations that she took most of her cookies home.

Sophie couldn't help with cookies, but oh, did she love having the grandkids here! Since this was her first Christmas with us, she wasn't sure what all the fuss was about, but soon got into the spirit of the season. Hmm, I wonder how those holes got in my brand new tree skirt . . .

Of course, there was a stocking just for her, and she enjoyed her new toys. Toby and Tarzan opened their presents a little early--the catnip mice in their stocking were just too tempting, and I caved in to their curious sniffings and pawings before Christmas Eve.

As is our custom, the immediate family gathers here after Christmas Eve services, and the cleaned and decorated house soon deteriorates into pure chaos as packages are ripped open. Youngest Grandson is now ready to do some serious farming. Notice Sophie to the left--she's always ready to play with Grandson and his neat toys. At one point we had to hastily retrieve the puck from his new hockey set from her before it turned into doggy fiber.

All the toys were inspected and tried out--hockey pucks went flying, and a new scooter raced through the basement family room. But the most fun of all? No, not a new, expensive toy--but empty wrapping paper rolls! A jousting contest with them provided the most entertainment of the evening. It just goes to show that you don't need to spend a lot of money on presents:)

The day after Christmas we gathered again at my parents' house, along with my brother and his family. Cousins got a chance to see each other again and play together.

My parents love nothing better than a house filled with the laughter of children. My Dad does his part by sharing one of his trademark "corny" jokes with Granddaughter.

After his health scare last winter, we were all happy to be able to have another Christmas with Mom and Dad.

Christmas has passed, but the memories will last forever. With the hectic pace of the holidays almost over, it's a good time to take a cue from Toby

and take a little catnap to recharge the batteries.

Since this will be my last post of 2009, I want to take this opportunity to wish all of you

a new year filled with health, happiness, and peace.

Happy New Year!

ABC Wednesday is hosted by Mrs. Nesbitt; I can't wait to see what other people have come up with for the letter X--their posts can be found here.

Belated Thank You's

Before this year draws to a close and we usher in 2010, I want to take care of some unfinished business. In the last two months I've received several gifts, and I'd like to thank those who were so kind to give them to me.

Some time ago I received a free copy of Flora Mirabilis: How Plants Have Shaped World Knowledge, Health, Wealth, and Beauty from the publishers at National Geographic. Written by Catherine Herbert Howell in collaboration with the Missouri Botanical Garden Library, this is a beautifully illustrated book that would be perfect for any gardener's coffee table collection.

Several other bloggers have already posted reviews of this book, so I won't bore you by repeating the same information here. Besides, in all honesty, I haven't had time to read the whole book yet, just snippets here and there. But that is one of the great things about this book--you can choose a chapter or one of the mini-chapters about specific plants in any order you wish.

A few bits of trivia I found fascinating in the book:

• One example is the olive, which appears in Greek mythology when Athena and Poseidon held a contest to see who would be the protector of Athens. Whoever produced the most valuable gift for the people of the city would win. Poseidon produced a saltwater spring (in the translation I had read before, it was a horse), and Athena offered an olive tree. She won the contest hands down, and the city adopted her name. In the familiar Biblical story of Noah, the olive appears again, as a dove released by Noah came back with an olive branch, a sign that the flood had receded. The olive branch is still a symbol of peace today.
  


• European explorers are believed to have brought many diseases to the New World, including malaria. Several stories tell of people cured of malaria by the bark of a special tree in South America. This "Peruvian bark" was brought back to Europe, and eventually renamed Cinchona officinalis. This plant is still in use as a remedy today--known to us as quinine.
  


• 
  We all think of Holland when we think of tulips, but did you know just how popular this flower once was in this country? In the early 1600's tulipomania took over the country, and prices for the most desired bulbs shot skyward. "By 1610 a new tulip variety was perfectly acceptable as a dowry, and houses and businesses were often mortgaged to facilitate the purchase of a coveted flower." Not surprisingly, the market eventually crashed, nearly bankrupting the whole country.
  

• 
  One of my favorite plants is pictured above in one of the many excellent illustrations in the book. Theobroma cacao literally means "food of the gods"--certainly appropriate for this source of chocolate. In Mayan culture cocoa seeds were used as currency, and it wasn't until 1847 that a British company produced the first chocolate that could be eaten.
  

Flora Mirabilis, however, is not a book of trivia but rather an engaging history of the role plants have played in our lives. It is what its name means--"a wonderful book about flowers." If you would like to know more about this book, check out some of the reviews posted by other bloggers, including an excellent and thorough review by another Rose at Rambleonrose.

Please note other than the free copy of this book, I received no remuneration for mentioning this book, nor was I required in any way to review the book here.


My tiny garden library has also increased in volume recently after winning two giveaways. The first was a giveaway by gardening guru Carol at MayDreams Gardens, where I was the lucky winner of this book, What's Wrong With My Plant? Carol, as well as several other bloggers, have posted reviews of this book, so I'll refer you to them for details. But I have skimmed through the book and can say that this will definitely come in handy! No more wondering what is causing those little holes in the leaves of my roses or what's causing the sedum to flop over and die. Next year, with the help of this reference, I'll have all the answers! Thanks, Carol!

Apparently the stars were in alignment for me for a short time (too bad I didn't buy a lottery ticket!), because a few weeks later I also won a giveaway at Commonweeder. Nancy Ondra's The Perennial Care Manual is another excellent reference that I know I'll consult frequently. Filled with beautiful photographs, the book gives instructions for specific plants on everything from pruning to propagating.

Looks like it's time to buy that new bookcase I've been wanting for my office!

And one more gift . . . Along with Nan Ondra's book, Pat at Commonweeder also sent me two dozen "Cowpots." Now all I need are some packets of seeds, and I will be all set for spring seed sowing! Thanks, Pat!

Finally, two more belated thank-you's. Shady Gardener at Does Everything Grow Better in My Neighbor's Yard? gave me this blog award some time ago.

And Suburbia at Moments From Suburbia gave me this award a few months ago. Thank you to both of you! I know the rules are to pass these on, but there are so many blogs I read these days that I thoroughly enjoy that I would have trouble picking out just a few. So, I thank these two friends for the awards and extend my thanks to all of you who make each day a little brighter with your creative, inspiring, or often humorous views of the world around us.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and that you are able now to enjoy a little relaxation after the hubbub of decorating, baking, and shopping. All the presents have been opened here, and not one garden gift in the bunch! Oh well, my birthday is in June, so there is still hope. Meanwhile, we did have one more "gift"--the snow began to fall on Christmas Day, and by today my yard was a vision of white.

My camera was not out of focus--that is blowing snow you see in the background. Looks like I can finally join in on Nancy's "First Snowfall" project!

Wishing you all a great week and the beginning of a happy New Year!