Hi everyone — and hello to the new people this week. ❤️ I’m Catherine, author and Sydney-sider, and I’m here to drop a little positive inspiration into your inbox every weekend!

This week, I’ve been thinking about happiness and the easiest way to feel better now.

Here’s what I do:

A few evenings ago, we took a night train home and passed by Luna Park—stars in the dark, lights on the water. Isn’t the photo pretty? That was a micro-moment of happiness for me.

Then last night, we attended a massive 500-person dance party, and there was this moment when our dance teacher sort of shepherded all of us in her class together—like little ducks—and helped us out with a dance in our own corner of this enormous hall. As I watched her take care of us, I got absolutely tear-y. It was a micro-moment of intense happiness because…when was the last time that YOU, as an adult, felt that someone (not family, not a partner) was taking care of you?

We need to find the micro-moment of happiness.

Rather than relying on the big wins, the huge happiness, those rare times when every single thing falls into place, the micro-moments of happiness are always around us—if we pay attention and look for them.

Quick—right now, while you’re reading—is there something near you that gives you a tiny jolt of perfect happiness?

For me, it’s hot coffee, my favourite pink mug, fuzzy slippers, a household of sleeping family.

The little things are always available to bring us joy.

Love Catherine x

PS. The fun stuff!

• This made me laugh until I snorted. Can you relate?

• Do you ever have a day when you want to pull on gorgeous black trousers that also feel “kind” to your body and look great? Hard to tell from the photos, but these wide-leg, super comfy black pants are lovely. Size down, my friends. (They may be long if you’re under 170 cm / 5’7”).

• Cello. Always gorgeous. I listened to hours of Bach while my son was learning to play.

• My sister (I’ve written about her in two of my books!) calls these moments “holy moments” of divine inspiration. If you’re a person of faith, you might enjoy this book about it.

• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver: a novel about the opioid crisis in America, and a riff on Dickens’ David Copperfield. It’s graphic (language and content warning) but such an interesting book.

• A song from our dance party—a groovier Elton John smash-up of four hits. Cold Heart remix is here, and the Aussie dance teacher’s routine is here.