5-5:20pm: What were some thoughts that went through your head today? What did you do with them? Are you going to do anything with them? What do they mean?
Think of your life as literature. It IS. It’s a story. You’re writing even when you’re not writing. So… what did you write today?
FYN (For Your Notes): Thoughts are always valuable and can be used.
FYN: You and your days are never boring or regular unless you choose to see them that way.
FYN: (a bit off-topic). Your journal is YOUR journal. Use it for this class, personal writings, ANYTHING written. Don’t overthink or even think about it.. just use the pages. They are ALL yours.
5:20-5:40: How do you define happiness? Do you have some specific visual or conceptual image or feel of what it is? Why is it so seemingly hard to acquire at times? Is this imagined? What the F/CK is happiness?
FYN: Happiness can’t be defined maybe, just chosen and lived….?
5:40-6:05pm: Initial reactions and thoughts to Ms. Lawson’s book. I find that she’s as kind and loving as she is snarky and slightly venomous. What about you?
FYN: Her exploration of depression is what I’d call artfully quirky, poetic…. You?
FYN: She shows us how people connect, and affect each other. And, how there is nothing more attainable than our own identity.
6:05-6:20pm: What are some lines from the book that gave you insight into her mind and intentions, personality and writing style? Anything that makes you feel something as a reader, that leads to more questions you’d want to ask Ms. Lawson?
6:20-6:30pm: Close…. WHAT DID YOU WRITE IN YOUR NOTES/JOURNAL TONIGHT? What are you walking away with?
ASSIGNMENT: Read the next five chapters in Lawson’s book, type a 2-page opinion paper on her reason for writing.
#professormikey 
When I think of happiness I envision myself being financially free. Money has always been a problem in my life, and I know a lot of stress will go away once I am financially free. I also envision my mom being proud of me and who I became when I think of happiness.
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I was reminded of something from Lawson’s book. She talks about how being in dark places means we have this appreciation for when we’re not sad, and to us those are the best moments. Sometimes Happiness is just being okay.
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Very true.
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just changed my name lol
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All good. Thank you.
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I guess happiness changes from person to person. To answer the first question. Idk. Honestly, I have a very complicated relationship with ‘Happiness’. I tend to always find myself the happiest when I surround myself with people that mean the most to me, friends and/or family. Or when I do something I enjoy, either it’s sports or just spending quality time with the people I love. Sometimes it does seem hard to be ‘happy’ personally I never realize I’m happy till I look back at old photos or memories and realize how much I enjoyed it.
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I think happiness can be hard sometimes because our culture makes it hard. We have such high standards set for us by social media, tv our peers etc. that we have become hyper critical and less relaxed and confident with ourselves.
Happiness comes easier when we take care of ourselves and when we have amazing connections with other humans, when we have space to do things that create joy.
Happiness is the best drug.
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Maybe rather than defining happiness, we should explore it first? What do you think?
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I’ll take a lifetime of exploring happiness please. With a large blueberry milkshake
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🙂
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I would define Happiness as your motivation among other things. It’s what keeps you going through life the bigger picture and what makes all the sadness and lowest points worth it. For me something that brings me happiness more than almost anything is my friends, having fun doing almost anything with them has lead me to experience the most joy I have felt in my memory, and yes I know its important to find happiness within yourself as well but that is much more difficult, which is something I think Lawson’s book showcases beautifully.
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Whatever you define it to be…
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To me happiness can be whatever anyone wants it to be. I think everyone has their own definition of happiness because different things make different people happy. Happiness to me is being comfortable in life and having people with me to go through life with. I cannot enjoy the things I buy or have without friends or family there with me or simply being able to uncontrollably laugh around people without fear of being judged. Happiness can be hard to find sometimes but in a world were we only have so many days I think we have to find happiness in anything we can.
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Self-defined and understood, definitely.
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When i think of happiness, friends come to mind, as they are a major source of my happiness, there are countless amounts of memories and fun times, happiness for me is when i’m with my family and friends with no stress, just enjoying our time.
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My definition of happiness is really just feeling ok with where I’m at. Being at the point where I am able to stop worrying about the small stuff and enjoy the moments I usually let pass me by. I’m not the happiest person in the world, but I’m definitely not as low as I was before. My happiest moments are usually with my boyfriend (I know, lame but its true) Those times where we’re in a conversation that takes unexpected twists and turns that leave me feeling like wow I thought I knew you pretty well but now I want to know even more. Being able to form and nurture a bond with someone that you may have never had the chance to meet and by fate you did. I try to carry this feeling into relationships with other people too. Being able to learn more about the people closest to me is something that makes me happy. I don’t know what happiness really is nor do I know how to describe the feeling or a visual of just straight up being happy. I just know those things that make me happy. I think happiness can be so hard to acquire because we get so caught up in our schedules and all the things we’re “supposed” to be doing. I know for many people comparing ourselves to one another, is a huge deterrent of happiness. Finding things I love about myself and really nurturing and appreciating those is something I work on everyday too. Oh and gardening, gardening makes me real happy.
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Finding things you love about yourself… YES!!
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My initial reaction to Ms. Lawson is love, FREEDOM, and self-assessment…. YOU?
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Definitly freedom. And self acceptance too. I want to follow her around for a week
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Would be so awesome.
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My initial reaction was a similar stance, but more so focused on the openness and honesty aspects of her writing. The willing to just place pen to paper and voice her mind is such a powerful tool!
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TRUTH. Freedom.. Music, and understanding of self.
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When I think of happiness I picture spending time with family and friends but also being independent and taking charge of my own life. I feel like I would be happiest in my own apartment, having fun with friends and family, traveling, making art, and hiking or being in touch with nature but at the end of the day, I would like to be at my own place instead of having more responsibility when I get home because I have to deal with everyone else issues and take care of them because I’m just that person.
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Love the person you are!!
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I kind of want to be isolated from all the problems and the world and just come back to the world whenever I want.
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Why can’t you now? Write it that way. Try it…
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happiness can take on many forms, and I think most people find it hard to grasp because they over think, the definition given by a dictionary.
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I think I define happiness by having the ability to see beauty in every day, and the ability to enjoy things. No one is able to feel joy all of the time, but some people can’t even feel it when it is right in front of them, and if you can, that is a blessing. I think that happiness to me looks like keeping myself busy but also taking time to enjoy the little things, and I no longer view it as an idealized emotion. Happiness is something you learn, and if you rely on your surroundings for happiness, that stability will sometimes fall short. It is hard to be happy for people who think something external that they will get or can earn will give them happiness. The reality is you aren’t going to stumble upon happiness, and even if you change your habits, you still might not be happy all the time. But eventually, you might be if you focus on what and who you truly want to focus your energy on. Outside forces can make you happy but only in one situation, if you immerse yourself and allow them to, and getting to that place is easier said than done.
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I feel like happiness is something that can’t be bought, its something that everyone is born with. Although, i think your happiness can fade away over time by the situations life throws at you and how you react and overcome them. A visual I have of happiness is a video I came across a few days ago about a family who was homeless in Latin America. They didn’t have much in life but were so happy for what they had and grateful to be all together.
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Another reaction of mine is challenge… Ms. Lawson challenges herself, readers, writing traditions, the definition of depression and how it’s perceived….
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I think the reason why happiness is sometimes hard to acquire is because we as humans always let little things bring our mood down, instead of finding things that would actually bring in happiness.
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My initial reaction to Ms. Lawson is being free, accepting yourself, and uniqueness
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Examples?
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My initial reaction to Lawson was very inspiring, her authors note was incredibly!
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Explain…
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The fact that she was so open with her mental illness, I appreciated how she defined what it is like to have such an illness. ” Then imagine that some disease being one of the most misunderstood disorders..one that so few want to talk about and one that so many of us can never completely escape from”
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I think happiness can be so difficult for people to find or obtain because of the burdens that come from so many aspects of our life. Like how Lawsom describes how difficult her life becomes just because of the presence of COATS anything can bring anxiety to us, which can make fighting past that and putting in that effort is not easy to find that HAPPINESS.
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Ms. Lawson’s book shocked me. A lot of what she wrote resonated with me. I found myself writing paragraphs of responses because what she had written made me think about my life. I laughed a bit. I’m excited to read more. The power is out here at my house, so maybe its a good opportunity to get some good reading in.
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Examples?
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The conversation she had with her mother, for one. I’ve had that one more times than I could count.
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Good!
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I still haven’t received Ms. Lawson’s book…
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When do you expect to get it?
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I tracked it down and it said it needed around a week
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When I first started reading, I thought ok cool severed heads first paragraph alllllright. But I thought her writing had a great rhythm to it. It was easy to follow and entertaining. In the third chapter when she was going over her bedside notes, I found it scattered and I wasn’t really into it but nonetheless I enjoyed the reading. I found her approachable and very human. She described her relationship with her mother so clearly, I felt as though I knew them personally. I think that’s probably because I saw some of my relationship with my own mom in there. You can see how much she loves herself however she has no problem calling herself crazy, then she showed her mom that crazy’s only a bad thing if you let it be.
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Do you have quotes that highlight that self-love?
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Last night I wrote down. this quote. “…I’ve learned the importance of pushing through knowing that one day soon I’ll be happy again”(6). It doesn’t highlight self love directly by any means. But it was something that stuck with me. I think knowing that things will get better and remembering to tell yourself that is an aspect of self-care, which in itself is self love.
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I love how she writes…it feels like she writes how she thinks. And I understand her because thats how my brain works too…kind of how I clean my house too. Kinda all over the place and easily distracted..my mom once told me it was like watching a comedy. I’ll take it as a compliment. She freely lets her mind run around exploring every thought the moment it hits her. It’s child-like? maybe unfettered is a better word. Willful abandon to every thought.
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I also got that feeling from her writing. I dont think what she writes is filtered. It feels almost raw. It makes it very fun and engaging to read
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Where?
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I agree! Its refreshing!
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Through research on her and some of the book that I read, I feel that she is kind of quirky. I’m very excited to keep reading because I want to see how the titles meaning weaves into her words.
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My books haven’t arrived yet as I’m in another country, but I have done more research and read some of Ms.Lawson’s blogs. I love how funny she is and I love reading her blogs because it makes me laugh she has a great way of thinking about life. By reading other comments it seems like the book is funny so I’m excited to read it and laugh.
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I haven’t gotten my Lawson book yet, still hasn’t arrived…
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My initial reaction to Ms.Lawson is accepting, powerful, and unique
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If someone posts a quote from Lawson’s book and a meaningful reaction to it in the next three minutes, I’ll buy you a cup of coffee.
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She has come a long way from where she started and I envy her for that. She has figured out what worked best for her depression and anxiety and took control of her life. She got up and decided to not be sad, to be furiously happy out of spite (which I love). She has her days but don’t we all, she gets up and makes the best out of it. And she makes jokes/fun of herself which is so funny and I love when people can make jokes out of their misery because that’s just kind of my humor sometimes. And she does it in such a casual way like she does it all the time. I dont know I’m just enjoying reading about her so far.
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It’s very comforting for a reader, right?
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It really is
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i knew that the book was about lawsons struggles with mental illness but i was surprised we how closley i could relate to what she was saying. i loved how shes ebing so open about her stuggles and wanting to showcase how we can continue to live our best lives even if we ourselves may also deal with various forms of mental illness.
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I really like Mrs. Lawson’s book so far. My first impressions was it was engaging and had a comedic tone to it at times which drew me in further. I like the concept of short chapters that are straight to the point for reference or details. I enjoyed the third chapter and the random thoughts she had with a couple making me laugh.
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At the end of chapter 1 “Sometimes crazy is just right” (pg.6) I really like that because it’s so honest and I love how Lawson writes about her challenges and that makes her the person she is today.
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You get coffee.
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I think there is no real definition of happiness because we make up what we want happiness to be. Happiness can be a thought, an achievement, a hobby. Something that makes me happy is buying shoes and collecting them because growing up I never had expensive shoes, but because I work hard, I’m able to afford them and it makes me happy knowing I can. I would rather be broke and happy than rich and sad.
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My initial reaction to Lawson book was what I expected it to be. I expected it to have humor with a little bit of seriousness that’s just basing off the cover of the book. As I read through the chapters I noticed that she finds the good in the bad, she always tends to find humor on serious things which is a new way of seeing things
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I liked how even though she defined her self as crazy her mother said, she was unique, and even if she was ” normal is boring”. On top o f this her mother said she handles her abnormities well enough were she, dose not come off as some one who has Trichotillomania, as she stated a “deviled egg, with a sprinkle that was a bunch of other abnormal disorders”( Jenny Lawson).
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Coffee for you as well…
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It depends. I can’t easily generalize or pin point the concept of happiness, it is a state of being that is beyond, always revolving, and inward but so approachable!!! It is being able to exist just as you are and be at peace with yourself, open to make something better in life that ultimately reflects right back to you. It is a mindset of interpretation that is an available option to you. For example, sometimes when you’re in a dark place, you may think you’ve been buried, but actually you’ve been planted. See? What is we are all seeds of happiness? It is quite real and lived throughout many moments. The key is to never let it get taken away some “other”, simply do this by believing it is not given by the “other.” Other can be your opponent. I try not let that be my own self.
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Lawson is just what you need if you’re trapped in a house during the covid era..
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pretend you are good at it….on reading her book for her audio book. Pretending can get you to being actually good at something
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I really enjoy her style of writing. She’s very raw and blunt but adds in peculiar humor but I love her creativity thinking! i resonated with her on a few things she’s wrote so far like the whole think about obsessing over the milk bone biscuits and the pharmacist and needing to make sense of it, i find relatable. as someone who suffers from anxiety, i know all too well fixating on random things as such.
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Any examples or specific points of connection?
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I had the most awful hours I’ve had in months. So writing about my happiness feels kind of misplaced right now as I’m out on a walk crying in the rain for the past 1.5 hours. The things that normally make me happy are my friends and family, my sports, going on adventures. But whenever I hit a low everything seems rather pointless
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“Sorry that I passed out on you. Apparently I’m afraid of coats” like she don’t understand why her brain does that, just makes fun of herself and embraces it. Then when she’s at the gyneo she tells them to get everything done while she’s out, she pretty much uses that to her advantage and I just found it so carefree and accepting to how her brain works. Not that meaningful but I just thought it was pretty funny.
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Coffee for you sis…
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I instantly liked Jenny Lawson’s book because she has a really I guess down to earth writing style? It actually reminded me a bit of how Catcher in the Rye was written, and I find it interesting a lot of books about mental health have that similar tone, and it isn’t “sad”. It’s really honest, funny, and kind of a mess, but I like it. I liked how she introduced the book by talking about her struggles, and then proceeds to tell some stories and share some thoughts that were down to earth, relatable, and made me laugh. I also could see what you meant about the snarkiness, but honestly I didn’t find the narrator that snarky, because the format felt like her thoughts, and we are all a bit snarky in our thoughts sometimes.
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Another thing that I noticed from reading Lawson book is she speaks her mind she writes down every little thing on her notes which I’m going to test out on my own notes to see how that goes, Sometimes those little things tend to lead to bigger stories as well with being the more interesting
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I went to the bookstore to collect my books today and the only one they gave me calypso. The other 2 books are still in transit, but I’m going to look up an audio recording of the book and hear it instead until my books arrive
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Good!
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One of my favorite quotes so far was when her mother said “‘Maybe crazy isn’t so bad after all” I agree. Sometimes crazy is just right.” There are a lot more unique quotes in the book, its full of them, but this one felt more universally relatable. Because sometimes crazy, abnormal, and just different lets you experience something the ‘normal’ never could. Crazy is what inspires real excitement and what people who darer to travel down a more intimidating path or just differ from the more populated road instead deciding to take the one less traveled. Without crazy life would be so much less full of color and energy, an example being this very book which we would never have.
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I loved when lawson was talking bout being happy just to spite those who were trying to tear her down. what better way to get to people like that then to show how unapologetically happy you are despite how awful your surroundings may be.
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Does Lawson make you think about the word “crazy”? Like, who is anyone to call anyone crazy?
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Absolutely! Especially after this last year…anyone else feel like they got closer to an edge???
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Yes, but that edge helped me see myself more clearly and honestly.
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exactly
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Does Lawson inspire you to do anything?
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She makes me want to find little details amusing out of the mundane, like the pharmacist with the dog treats. And to laugh at oneself, makes life a lot more light hearted.
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Totally!
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Care less about what others think. Enjoy yourself more. Let your crazy BE. Allow your obsessions to run a little f ing wild
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Well written, Laura!!
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I completely agree with you. It feels a lot better not caring what others who won’t be in your life in the next few years think of you.
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she’s inspired me to take myself less seriously and laugh at myself a little more
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YES!
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Lawson inspired me to write everything that goes through my mind, the more you write the more thoughts come together
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So, so true!!!
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Has Lawson taught you anything in these beginning chapters/steps?
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Lawson has taught me not to take life too seriously. It’s okay to make mistakes and not ruin your day over it.
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I feel this completely
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Hearing Lawson talk about it really stood out to me because I have been struggling with that for a long time. I could be having a great day and be completely happy and than have one bad thing happen and it could ruin my day completely. I’ve definitely been working on that but hearing her talk about it excited me because I want to hear her perspective on it.
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