You need to read “A Short Guide to a Happy Life”!

I’ve been trying to read Lord of the Rings, but good God is it a struggle; love the films, love everything to do with Middle Earth, but that book is a rough read! This past Sunday, I was looking to relax and read by the pool in my complex, and LOTR was not just not appealing at the time. Instead, I picked a tiny book off of my bookshelf that I had received in my stocking from “Santa” one Christmas but had never taken the time to read. The book was A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen, at it touched me deeply.

Only 50 pages long (but filled with artsy black and white images on almost every other page so really it’s like 30 pages), this is a quick read with many valuable insights. Author Anna Quindlen admits, “I’m not particularly qualified by profession or education to give advice and counsel.” And there’s something charming about that; a normal person sharing the the practices and concepts that have made their own life happy and fulfilling.

Anyway, she breezes through different things that she has found make her and others lead happier lives, and some of it is so very simple and so very true. Some of the main themes are work-life balance, being present in the moment, making time for loved ones, and relishing in the simple joys like reading a book outside with the sun on your face, watching a baby laugh, and listening to the ocean. This book drove home a lot of my own beliefs about living a better life.

I have a journal that I write down different quotes and lessons in, I call it my Book of Other People’s Wise Words, and I found myself wanting to basically copy down the whole of A Short Guide to a Happy Life, it was that inspiring. Needless to say, I’ve added some new wisdom quotes to my journal.

Please check this book out, it won’t take more than 30 minutes to read, and you might get some great perspective out of it!