5 Things Making Me Happy: 6/20

Each Friday, I send a newsletter that includes "5 Things" that made me happy that week. Today, I'm sharing last week's list here as well. If you'd like to receive future 5 Things in your inbox, sign up?here.

Hello,

Last night, I was thrilled to go to the final concert of Paul McCartney’s “Got Back” tour at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Such an?experience.

My sister Elizabeth and I have been talking about the brilliant?Get Back?documentary for months, and it gave us a new fascination with the Beatles—and when Chuck Reed, producer of the?Happier with Gretchen Rubin?podcast, told us he was going to see Paul McCartney in Los Angeles, I realized that McCartney was coming to the NYC?area.

Paul McCartney packed a huge stadium of people and played for more than two-and-a-half hours. And he turns 80?tomorrow.

One favorite moment: Bruce Springsteen showed up unexpectedly and sang two songs. (As Springsteen came on stage, I said to my husband Jamie in a worried voice, “Why is everyone booing? Because it means less time for Paul McCartney?” and he said, “They’re not booing, they’re saying ‘Bruuuce.’ And after Springsteen left the stage, McCartney remarked that the first time he’d been on stage with Springsteen, he’d had the same?concern.)

Another favorite moment: after a few songs, McCartney paused, looked out at the cheering crowd, and said, “I’m going take a moment to myself, to drink it all?in.”

Fireworks! Flags for Ukraine and Rainbow Pride! Images of the Beatles throughout the years! And, of course, so, so many great songs. In?Happier?episode 379, Elizabeth and I talked about the try-this-at-home suggestion to “Choose a summer song,” and to our surprise, we both picked the same song: “I’ve Got a Feeling.” For one of his encore songs, McCartney sang it alongside archival footage of John?Lennon.

I haven’t been to a big concert like that in years (decades?), and it made me very, very?happy.

Onward,

Gretchen Rubin

5 things making me happy

1. One thing that I’ve always found striking (and even a little uncanny) about stories is how they can change our understanding. For instance, while from the outside, a particular remark, gesture, or situation might seem innocuous, boring, or nonsensical, from inside the story, it can be full of meaning. As I was listening to the climactic scene of Martha Wells’s terrific novella?Rogue Protocol, I choked up when one character responded, “That priority change is rejected.” In the context of the story, that flat, bureaucratic statement was deeply moving.
2. When my family got our dog Barnaby, I was surprised by how comforting the presence of a dog could be. We’d had our dog Paddywack growing up, and I remembered how much fun we’d had—but I’d forgotten the solace of a dog’s presence. I was very interested to read about research showing that?a ten-minute visit from a therapy dog helped patients in an ER to experience less pain.
3. Stop and smell the roses!—or the ginger, the fresh towels, the ocean. No surprise, research shows that?taking time to appreciate ordinary moments of beauty really does make us happier.
4. Because I’m always honing my?“Four Tendencies” personality framework, I pay a lot of attention to any discussion of accountability and aims. I’m very familiar with the practice of using others to create accountability, of course, but I hadn’t heard the term “body doubling” until a thoughtful reader sent me?this article. Obligers, take note!
5. One bright spot in the news lately has been the celebration of the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. My mother sent me?this funny video clip?from Sky News, of the Queen’s protection officer Richard Griffin telling a story about the Queen’s sense of humor.

Updates

• I partnered with Oracle to examine the state of happiness and the role brands can play. Take a look?here.
• Want to bring more creative work into your life? I created a?Creativity Jump-Start?with resources that can help you cultivate your creativity. Or you can text?CREATIVITY?to?+1 (844) 934-1913?and receive seven days of prompts to help you build a creative habit in the way that works for you, for free.

Interview

Sandi Schwartz: “Nature Stimulates Creativity.”

Happier Podcast

382: Responsibility-Shifting Questions, Being a Better Manager, and Why You Might Rent a Salad Bowl

If you'd like to receive future 5 Things in your inbox, sign up?here.