Get Happier

A few thoughts for a lovely long weekend...

Hi everyone!

It’s a lovely, long Easter weekend, and I hope you’re enjoying it. It’s been a whirlwind around here!

First up, I thought I might share the delicious recipe I found for cinnamon buns.

Take a look at these…yum! I made them on Friday and they were gone by Saturday morning. Then I started another batch this morning. I’ve linked the recipe for you below.

Next, a little encouragement if you’re facing a tricky time just now.

People can be both blind and unkind, especially when they think they’re simply sharing “the truth”. If that’s happened to you recently, a little hope and happiness is coming your way…from me to you. When things feel hard, I love this note to self:

Finally, a reminder: take a little time to rest and reset this weekend. You deserve it! I hope you have fun loving all the people you’ve been given to love.

Catherine x

PS. The fun stuff!

Happy Sunday!

Hello, friends. It’s a gorgeous morning in Sydney, figs are in season (hooray!), we’ve slept in with daylight savings and a soft rain is falling.

I read such an interesting article this week about gratitude. Hillel Einhorn, a famous psychologist, once got a fortune cookie that said, “Don’t think about all the things you want that you don’t have. Think about all the things you DON’T HAVE that you DON’T WANT.”

That list is long, and it’s a list of gratitude. For example, here’s what I don’t have (that I don’t want):

  • illness (I’m healthy)

  • trying to find a place to live in a rental crisis environment (we have a home)

  • an unwell and suffering pet (our pup passed away suddenly—tough on us, but also a blessing not to suffer)

This is the 2x2 Happiness Matrix by David Epstein to visually explain the concept.

Luckily, we DON’T HAVE so much of what we DON’T want. That thought makes me grateful that my life is so very good.

Here’s to enjoying a wonderful weekend. We have the chance to rest, and to love all the people we’ve been given to love.

Catherine x

PS. The fun stuff!

  • Seraphim Strings’ Charity Concert was last night and it was gorgeous! Thank you for supporting our son and his friends. With your help, they raised $2,000 for charity. Loved seeing Sydney blog fans there, and I’m so grateful many of you bought and donated tickets from afar. You’re the best. Venue is gorgeous, built in 1883, and reasonably-priced. Booking info here.

  • Have you ever made your own butter? I was raised on farm-fresh, homemade butter! Here’s an easy way to do it at home with one ingredient. Plus salt.

  • Trays of figs are in season at Harris Farm.

  • Black studded boots — so cute in person and nearly sold out. I love mine.

Your little reminder to do this.

Hi everyone, and hello to all the new people! I’m dropping in with your weekly inspiration. Thanks for all the messages, comments and emails—you’re the best, truly.

You know how life is both up and down — the silver heels and the worn slippers?

Well I’ve been feeling a bit flat and disoriented so far this year, and when that happens to me, I follow down the track of comfort eating (hello, chocolate!) and too much rumination (hello, 3am!). I no longer have a little furry pal to keep me company when I’m up in the middle of the night, and one thing has sort of led to another.

Maybe you feel the same? A little flat?

Or maybe your year has been amazing…and if so, that’s so good. I love the peak of the waves of life, and really hate the troughs. But for me, so far 2023 has been a trough.

That’s why I’m sharing a little reminder for us all:

You know what I mean:

  • Book the check-up

  • Restock the fridge with some healthier options

  • Do a free mediation (I love the one below…)

  • Lotion up your legs and feet before you go to bed at night, and when you get up in the morning

  • Go outside with the purpose of noticing something beautiful

  • Practice some wild gratitude

I’m calling it quits on the sadness and blah.

I’m asking, “How can you take care of yourself here, Catherine?”

I hope if you’re reading this today, you ask yourself if you need to take a little better care of you, too. Notice the good things, eat something green, take a deep breath, pat yourself on the back, close your eyes and breathe, remember that you contribute something beautiful to this world.

Happy Sunday. The weekend is always the perfect time to begin.

Love, Catherine x

PS. The fun stuff!

  • Even if you can’t be in Sydney, would you like to support these young musicians and their charity concert? Bossa Nova, Tango and Spanish music played by Seraphim Strings…my son’s the cellist. You can get tickets here. Saturday 1 April from 6-7pm—perfect before dinner! The venue is very close to Town Hall station. Even if you can’t be with us, every cent of your $30 purchase will go to charity. Thank you. ❤️

  • The most beautiful, free meditation by Canadian Sarah Blondin. 13 mins.

  • Do you know about Be My Eyes app, where you can “see” for blind people? Here’s how it works.

  • My silver shoes. My fuzzy slippers. (I know someone’s going to ask!)

For absolutely everbody...

Hi friends! Thanks for joining me — today I’m up and writing from sunny Sydney. I’m pretty excited about a new development: later today, we’re going to try an in-studio yoga class to see how it goes. I only ever took a class once, and literally could not wait to get outta there, but I was younger and so impatient! Then I did a class or two online — see the link below — with beautiful Adrienne. But today I’m going to give it a whirl in person.

I love trying new things. For me, it’s the best way to get out of a funk. We’ve been so, so sad about losing our beautiful best friend last month, and what seems to help is shaking up my own routine and learning new things.

If unexpected death of a loved one has taught me anything, it’s this: you never know the burden other people are carrying.

Have the best weekend, and take the time to love all the people you’ve been given to love.

Catherine x

PS. The fun stuff!

  • For better balance: try brushing your teeth standing on one leg at a time. (I always forget to do this. I need a sticky note on my bathroom mirror!)

  • For endlessly hungry teens at my table: quick and easy cheesy garlic bread from Nagi at Recipe Tin Eats. I don’t have her cookbook yet, but I need it! What a gorgeous Aussie!

  • For cleaner floors — I’ve never tried a Dyson, but I absolutely love my new stick vacuum. I grabbed it on sale, and it is worth every penny.

  • For free, lovely yoga — try Yoga with Adriene.

  • For beauty’s sake: remember Sonnet 116? “Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds…”

Being Fun

Hi everyone. Yesterday my husband and I took a drive to our favourite beach, and on the way stopped for a delicious brekkie at Kiama, a seaside town.

As I looked across the road, I saw these teens living life to the full. A sunny Saturday, an airbrushed tattoo, why not?

It made me think about how often I’m fun.

It also made me think about how often the people I love are fun.

Because here’s the truth:

Your life may be a lot different to mine, but we’re all pretty serious around here: we’re focused and goals-oriented and the appointments for teeth cleaning are booked. We run after our dreams and we’re responsible.

But are we fun?

Maybe not as often as we could be.

So here’s the challenge for me (and maybe for you): this weekend, I want to bring some FUN to the table. Being fun takes a little planning, a switch in attitude, and a playfulness that it’s so easy to lose in our busy lives.

  • Do something unexpected. (Choose one: bake a cake when it’s no one’s birthday. Put on a pretty dress for dinner. Wear the flashy earrings. Put on a tablecloth, dig out the good china. Visit a different town or suburb and take a walk.)

  • Let yourself have fun. (We’re so serious—but what’s fun for us? Play music you loved in high school. Sing along? Watch a comedy routine on Youtube and let yourself laugh?)

  • Delight someone you love, unexpectedly. (It might be as easy as their favourite chocolate bar set beside the chair they always use. It might be a beautiful text to a friend. It might be a big, huge, unforgettable gesture—send them a book in the mail, a present, a pot of flowers at their door, a trip, a duplicate of something they’ve seen you wear and you know they love).

It’s so important to remember that having fun is always about BEING FUN. Usually, it take a little effort—and this weekend, I’m ready to bring it. I hope you are, too.

Have a beautiful Sunday, everyone. See you next week!

Love, Catherine x

PS. The fun stuff!

  • One of my sons needs this: how to reliably stop hiccups, with Andrew Huberman from Stanford University.

  • This activity for toddlers. Keep them busy!

  • I’ve heard so much about this candle-warmer: scented candles last so much longer, with no open flame.

  • These amazing young musicians are selling tickets for their charity concert — are you able to come? Bossa Nova, Tango and Spanish music played by Seraphim Strings…my son’s the cellist. You can get tickets here. Saturday 1 April from 6-7pm—perfect before dinner! The venue is very close to Town Hall station.❤️

A useful tip for you ❤️

Hi everyone, and hello to the new people who’ve joined us. I’m Catherine…author and writer of weekly inspiration for women around the world. Thank you for being here.

And thank you for all your messages from last week about my sad news. Hearts are healing, of course, and our routines are changing, but I want you to know that I lingered over every single email from all of you, and they were so, so healing.

Today, I want to share something I’ve talked about before—a tip that always works for me. And it’s Latin, so that means it’s extra-cool and memorable.

It may be something you’d like to try.

For me, as soon as bad news hits, I’m out the front door and walking. I’ve always been this way as long as I can remember: a walker and a thinker. There’s something about the walking that seems to resolve the pain, and help with confusion and sadness.

Life will roll on with good news and bad for all of us; no one magically has a perfect life. That’s why I like to have an immediate fallback when things go wrong.

I take a deep breath.

I put on my shoes.

I get outside and walk. And walk. And walk.

Solvitur ambulando. It is solved by walking…or if not solved, exactly, at least the movement of my feet feel like I’m heading into my future, trying to sort out my next steps.

It’s a good first response: when life bowls you over with a wave of bad news you weren’t expecting, remember that walking gives you a healthy way to move forward, even if it doesn’t change what’s happened.

Enjoy your weekend, everyone. Hug your friends, yourself, your kids and your beloved pets. This beautiful life of ours is so, so temporary.

Love, Catherine x

PS. The fun stuff!

I love this idea.

Hello, friends — and hello to all the new people joining us this week! (I’m Catherine Greer, an author living in beautiful Sydney, and you’ve signed up for my weekly newsletter for a little inspiration and FUN.)

Let’s get to it.

This week I’ve been thinking about two ideas that collided. Ready?

  1. Negative thoughts are addictive. This came via a neuroscientist, and I forgot to save the link to the article for you — so sorry! — but the gist was this: our brains LOVE negative thinking because we believe it will keep us safe. Optimism is frightening because it has no “warning” and though pessimism feels terrible, it also feels like it will protect us from danger. It feels wise to be pessimistic.

  2. It’s safe to ask this question.

If your mind is stuck on a worry loop today — and your worry and pessimism feels like it’s keeping you safe — remember that your brain is just doing its job: trying to protect you.

But it’s okay to ask a different question.

Deep breath.

What if it works out?

I hope this helps you like it helps me—just a little reminder that life can ALSO be “gorgeous, fabulous, beautiful” and it’s safe to expect good things.

Enjoy your weekend, everyone. Thanks for being here. I appreciate you!

Love, Catherine x

PS. The fun stuff.

Tearing Down and Rebuilding

Hi everyone (and hello to the new people here). This week I’ve been thinking about renewing relationships and connecting with the people we love. Our family recently took Canadian cousins on a whirlwind tour of Sydney’s CBD, and I snapped this photo of my beloved Queen Victoria Building.

I love beautiful buildings, and QVB is incredible: built in 1898 and designed by a 28 year old architect, it was essentially a make-work project in the middle of a recession so the government could employ out-of-work craftsmen. Take a peek inside…

The QVB is a survivor. Built for a purpose, and reinventing itself over and over—even saved a couple of times from being torn down—the Queen Victoria Building still stands. As of 2010, it was preserved as a historical site.

Here’s what it makes me think about my own life, and possibly yours: we’re built for purpose, but that purpose keeps changing.

I’m in the middle of changing from a mother of teens to a mother of men. In fact, I’m behind…and wow, there’s pain in that. After a few sleepless nights, I realised this week that I need to catch myself up to my current reality.

Maybe you do, too.

Is there something in your life (a role you play, a relationship you have, a skill that used to work) that’s just no longer working?

The biggest challenge I’ve faced lately is that we need to allow each other the space to change.

We need to allow ourselves the space to change.

When the old “fit” no longer works, or feels off, the best thing to do is this:

Allow, allow, allow, allow.

In our relationships, it’s okay for us to feel behind, or out of synch.

We may be wrong about people (especially as they change).

Other people may be wrong about us (because we’re changing, or even because they never really understood us to begin with).

With every iteration of ourselves, with every new year and new set of experiences, the way things worked before may not work in the same way now. And that’s life, right? It’s a cliche because it’s true: the only certainty is change.

Allow, allow, allow. Have the courage to try something new. Reinvent your way of thinking. Test it out. Keep discovering what might work better now…and keep on walking.

I’m wishing you a weekend full of rest and unexpected happiness.

Love Catherine x

PS. The fun stuff!

Simple tips to make your home a little nicer

Hi everyone. 2023 is off to a racing start around here — so today I’m sharing random ways I like to zshoosh up my home a little.

If we think of our personal spaces as a nest we create, we usually have the two resources we need to make them a little lovelier:

  • A tiny touch of creativity

  • A dollop of care and attention

Our homes are so important.

The ancient poet Rumi reminds us of this truth about ourselves and our homes:

No matter how simple or grand, our homes often impact how well we feel.

We are all imperfect, with imperfect nests, but there are small ways to make ourselves a little happier at home…

  1. Remember that real people live here. This means your home doesn’t need to feel like a magazine…it needs to feel like YOU. But does it reflect what you love? For me, that’s books, too many family photos, poetry, cozy blankets, a garage gym.

  2. Turn on lights for the people you love (and you!). If I know someone’s coming home at dusk or dropping by during the day, I race to the front door and turn on the hall lights, light a scented candle, and put on some peaceful music. I’ve always done this, especially for our sons coming home from school or work. I don’t know if it matters to anyone, but it matters to me; I want people to walk in and feel welcomed with light, warmth, peace, music. Not a dark entryway.

  3. Use The 10 Minute Fix—the main idea from my best-loved book. So many tiny, irritating jobs can be done in just 10 minutes. It’s true. Set your timer and organise a drawer. Sweep your entryway. Tidy a cupboard. Do the thing you’ve been avoiding. Show your home a little love.

  4. Say thank you. We have a place to call home when so many people on the planet have fear and distress.

  5. Invite someone in. Nobody expects perfection. All we ever want is love.

Enjoy your weekend! I hope you find some time today to feather your nest to make it more uniquely yours.

Catherine x

PS. The Fun Stuff!

  • Did you know you can reflex roses? See the lovely roses above, a gorgeous gift from my friend Claire at New Year’s Eve? The arrangement was huge, and a week later it needed some TLC. The older roses look beautiful when they’re reflexed. It’s so easy to do!

  • Do you need a knife sharpener in your kitchen? I use a simple one, and look—it’s not fancy and who knows it this is the “proper” way to do things BUT when I can’t cut a tomato, I’m so irritated. I pull out this one for two secs and bam. My knife is always sharp.

  • Have you separated your plastic lids from the containers? I store my lids like this attached to the inside of my cupboard door with a 3M hook or try a holder for the cupboard.

I find this quick tip helpful...

Happy Sunday, and hello!

For all the new people this week, I’m Catherine Greer, author, mother of young adult sons and wife living in beautiful Sydney, Australia. I love to capture photos of tiny, usual things — little moments of beauty like this rainy carpark with cloudy skies.

Today let’s talk about worry.

We all do it, right?

Whenever I feel worried, overwhelmed, tired, dispirited — I whisper some words, written more than six hundred years ago.

They were written by Julian of Norwich (1343-1416). It’s important for women to know about Julian (sometimes called Juliana) because she was the author of the earliest known English language writings by a woman.

Isn’t it incredible that a woman was allowed to write at that time?

Isn’t it amazing that her writing survived and can still reach us today?

The repetition (called anaphora, in case you love writing and language like I do!) is what makes Julian’s words so beautiful and memorable.

Whispering “all shall be well” is so much more helpful than diving into worry or fear. If you’re keen, try it now and see how you feel…but use the anaphora, okay?

Say it like Julian wrote it — three times.

It’s simple, but it works.

All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.

(Not some, but all. All manner of things…kids and work and finances and health and life and death and sorrow and joy and uncertainty and pain…)

In the end, all of it shall be well.

Wishing you a beautiful Sunday filled with unexpected, tiny joys.

Love, Catherine x

PS. The fun stuff!

Focus on the sweet

Hello, friends, and welcome to all the new people this week!

I’m Catherine Greer, living in Sydney, writer and mother of two young adult sons (one on the verge of graduating from high school…yay!), wife of a guy who loves to read as much as I do, baker of cakes and macarons, lover of little dogs, and expert at celebrating everything. Honestly, if any little good thing happens to you, call me: I’ll be there to cheer you on.

It’s finally feeling like summer in Australia, and though the weather’s been heating up, I’ve been tired and worried.

If you’ve been struggling a little like I have, here’s a quick tip for BOTH of us today.

Let’s look for some joy. Here’s how:

The sweetness is always there. (So are the flaws.)

Today I choose to focus on the sweet.

Happy Sunday, everyone. In case you haven’t been told today, remember three important things:

  • You’re probably doing a better job than you think you are.

  • You have a beautiful heart.

  • Today is all yours to enjoy and savour. How? By searching for the sweet.

Love, Catherine x

PS. The fun stuff!

Have a gentle Sunday...

Hi friends. Thank you for all the beautiful emails this past week after my sad news. I appreciate you all, even though I didn’t have the emotional energy to respond and be present for my family. Thank you for your virtual (((hugs))) and thoughtfulness, flowers and cards. It meant the world to me.

For your Sunday, here’s something I read worth sharing. It’s a reminder from Dr Caroline Leaf on our desire to control the future.

That last line struck me as true: you need to trust your future self to handle future problems.

That’s why, right now, we can relax. Our future self will handle future problems. And also—perhaps even more importantly—that’s why we need to take our shot, and do the thing that scares us.

  • Make the call.

  • Send out the book proposal.

  • Reach out to a potential new friend (new partner?)

  • Sign up for the class.

  • Step outside the comfort zone that your mind has built for yourself, where you are safe, and the same, and you’re trying so hard to control your security.

It’s a cliche because it’s true: all the magic and growth happens outside our comfort zone.

Your future self will take care of you, no matter what happens: if you’re rejected, if you feel embarrassed or ashamed…and even if, like my beautiful sister and her family, you experience loss that seems too devastating to face.

Your future self will be wiser, stronger, and there for you.

I hope you have a beautiful Sunday.

Love, Catherine x

PS. The fun stuff!

  • For sisters everywhere: this made me laugh so much, and I needed it.

  • I told you I’d report back on these shoes. The verdict? I love them for summer. They’re a bit narrow, so I used my shoe stretcher and it worked so well. Why are they good? Because they’re flats that look like wedges. You could walk for days…

  • But I also love these stacked wedge sandals available in Australia—brilliant for wide feet—and so, so comfortable. The photos don’t do them justice. Affordable, not leather, but so comfortable and cute.

  • If you want a fun middle grade novel for a Christmas present, my English writer-friend Susie Bower just released her third book and it’s fabulous. Find it here — also pictured with our beautiful Violin & Cello on sale today for $19.99. (If you could rate and review, that really helps authors!)

Well, she's a bit much...

Happy Sunday, my friends (and all the new friends this week!) I’m Catherine, up early in the rain writing to you while my family sleeps in. I’ve lit the candles and made hot coffee. So far, the day has been beautiful, and this week should be fun. I’m celebrating 25 years of marriage to this guy on Tuesday. A bit about my family: we have an 18 year old sitting his final exams for high school next week (gahh!) and heading to uni in February, and a 22 year old finishing up his Law-Commerce double degree. We live in Sydney, and the photo above was taken at my favourite beach in the world, Hyams Beach in New South Wales.

Here’s what I want to share this weekend—for you, if you’ve ever had someone roll their eyes and call you a “bit much.”

We need you to be as much of yourself as you want to be.

Your contribution to the world—your brand of JOY—is why you’re here. I love these words from Lindsay Rush:

Aren’t we so lucky to have YOU?

Yes. Yes, we are.

Enjoy your Sunday. I hope you have a brilliant one.

Love, Catherine x

PS. The fun stuff!

Remember This For Later...

Hi everyone. Jasmine’s out in Sydney, and the world smells like perfume. It’s a beautiful day to feel like everything’s just fine, but sometimes…life hands us a challenge we weren’t expecting.

For me…my internet friend in California is fighting a terrible, swift, unexpected cancer.

We’re up to our eyeballs in helping our son study for his year twelve exams.

Other things — hard things — we all have them, don’t we? (Just insert your hard things here, my friend, the things we don’t share…that sadness that feels like a cobra around your heart.)

If today you are worried or sad, if someone has hurt you or worse, I have this to offer. I love the work of The New Happy Co!

Remember that thoughts are temporary.

Treat yourself and your thoughts with kindness.

Look at YOURSELF with compassion.

Then…

Consider the last time your hands helped, your words comforted, your face lit up, and you loved the people you’ve been given to love.

Your life, your contribution and mine, our gifts…they matter. Our thoughts are temporary, but our service to other people can live on in ways we don’t even know. Our place in the world matters, however huge and famous and flashy, however quiet and unknown.

Happy Sunday, everyone. Enjoy your beautiful day.

Love, Catherine x

PS. The fun stuff!

But should you?

Hi everyone, and hello new people this week! Just a quick photo of me to remind you who is sending you this weekly Love Our Age newsletter. I’m Catherine, writer, mother of two young adult sons, wife, and Aussie-Canadian living in Sydney.

Twilight is my favourite time of day…as you can see from this snapshot outside our home. There’s something so lovely about turning the lights on where you live and looking inside your nest. You notice all the warmth there, the chaos and the love.

The people and things you treasure, the safety and warmth you create…

As women, we do so much. I often think we’re the beating heart of our families, our group of friends.

Why, then, is it easy to overlook all the good in us, to zero in on the ways we should be improving?

All the external messages (media, celebrities) and even the internal messages (our own minds) tell us we should be faster, better organised, more patient, better at self-care.

We should be more confident, energetic, and work harder.

We should rest! We should know how to take care of ourselves! And at the same time, we should make sure we’re loving all the people we’ve been given to love.

But here are two important, introspective questions.

Who are we when we stop performing?

Who are we when we stop ‘shoulding’ all over ourselves?

We’re valuable. We matter. What we love matters, too. So does rest, which we all deserve.

That’s all — and it’s enough to remember on this beautiful weekend in September.

I hope you have a relaxing Sunday.

Love, Catherine x

PS. The fun stuff!

  • It’s Spring in Australia, and Fall in the northern hemisphere. Time to reread my favourite poem by G.M. Hopkins. Remember? “Margaret, are you grieving / Over Goldengrove unleaving?”

  • Favourite mascara (people keep asking me…this one looks so natural!).

  • Twilight in Iceland — the sky!

  • I write books! You might have read my nonfiction for women (The 10 Minute Fix and Small Steps are Perfect.) Violin & Cello is my new picture book with illustrator Joanna Bartel (busy with a new baby!) and Alex Lau, composer (busy at uni!). Out now in Australia in bookshops and at Amazon and Booktopia. Pre-order in Canada, America and here in the UK.

Try this happiness tip...

Good morning from Australia, where the blossoms are out and we’re enjoying spring! This week I’ve been thinking of an idea I heard about and loved.

It’s not self-care. It’s exquisite care.

Before you tell me, yes, yes, but I have so much on my plate…take a second, please, and think about yourself.

What if we took exquisite care of ourselves — what would that look like?

Exquisite care.

Let me tell you a quick story. I was driving home in the rain from a long day of errands, and I thought about exquisite care. What did it mean? How could I do it when I was stuck in traffic? Then I remembered I love peaceful music in the rain. So I put on This is Goldmund and drove and listened.

That’s exquisite care. (For me.)

Today, how would you take exquisite care of you?

It’s the little things, baby.

Quick — think of what YOU love. Your special list. Here’s mine:

  • Baking something.

  • Hot coffee. Even better, in an English bone china cup, with a saucer.

  • Being in nature and not hearing traffic.

  • Reading before bed. (Ohhhhh, getting into an already-warm bed!)

  • Perfume.

  • Dressing up to show my respect for someone’s event, or to respect what I love to do. (Example: I always dress up for my Thursday night dance class. I’ve turned it into ‘date night’ even if it’s only the class and the drive home with my husband. I have the clothes anyway. I love the class. Exquisite care, for me, is loving the entire experience and showing that I value it.)

You get the idea. Exquisite care doesn’t need to be self-care (bubble baths, all that time, etc etc). It means thinking about what matters to you. Maybe it’s not dressing up or hot coffee, but it’s something.

Do you even know what it is? What is your exquisite self-care?

Thinking of you all around the world today, and sending you love.

Catherine xx

PS. The fun stuff!

Happy Father's Day, Australia!

Hi everyone — this guy, this is the father of our sons. He is, above all, a good sport. Ready to be silly when required by a fun-loving wife like me, ready to be stable when we need that (all the time). I can’t thank him enough…and one of the things I value the most is his willingness to have fun, and be fun.

It’s Father’s Day in Australia, which brings up so much for so many people. Thankfulness, gratitude, disappointment. Worry, regret, love. Wherever you land when you consider your relationship with your father (or the father of your children), I hope you can find wisdom and resolution.

We’re all so very human, and so flawed.

We’re all brilliant at some things. Terrible at others.

When I wrote The 10 Minute Fix, I asked a question. It’s an important one.

When I’m in the tumble dryer of worry and fear, or tiredness or disappointment, I stop and ask myself that question.

Am I being fun?

Could I be a little more fun?

What would that take?

Usually, it’s as simple as getting out of my own head, and thinking for a second about what might delight someone else. Then doing that thing. It can be so tiny:

  • an unexpected chocolate bar for my teen who is studying

  • a text saying, “I’m thinking about you today!”

  • NOT SAYING something (you left the kitchen in a mess / the lights on / the dog unwalked…)

I value FUN, but here’s the trick: fun starts with us being fun.

With us bringing the joy.

(I imagine all of you around the globe doing this, and the ripples of happiness extending to the people you love. What a difference we’ll make today.)

Love, Catherine x

PS. The Fun Stuff

A Sneaky Bit of Happiness...

Hello everyone! Writing a little newsletter to you is something I look forward to every week. Thanks for being here. If you’re new, I’m Catherine — behold me here walking the dog. (I share photos of myself every so often so internet friends know who’s writing…)

I had to force myself on this cold afternoon, so on went my favourite boots. (For some reason, shoes have always motivated me! Is this weird? Are you the same? Like putting on cute runners makes you more likely to exercise? Heels make you feel confident? Strappy sandals yell, Let’s have fun!!??)

Today, I’m sharing a happiness hack.

It can seem impossible some days, but it’s true.

We’re all icebergs, right? It’s a cliche but it’s true. We show the top 1/8 to most people (the tip above water), and some of our closest friends get maybe our iceberg’s top half. But deep beneath the waterline, there is so much going on.

Pain. Disappointment. Worry. Fear. Stress. Maybe a diagnosis. Or fear of a diagnosis for someone you love. A failure. A hope so big that you’ve carried so long and it feels heavy, like pain, instead of promised joy. For every person (you, me, the stranger walking the dog), the pain is sitting under the waterline.

But. But! We’ve also been around long enough to know that the day goes better when we focus our attention on joy.

Yes, I have to walk the dog, and I can do it in boots.

Yes, we have to face the hard thing, but we can make a very hot coffee and sip it while we read the email.

We can squeeze the heck out of someone’s hand during the diagnosis. Or send a text if we’re alone.

You know. I know.

There are two ways to live: one, head down. The other, head up, looking for little bits of joy.

Here’s my wish: that something so special, so fun, even tiny, happens for you today. That you choose to see it. That you savour it. Or that you give a tiny piece of happiness to someone you love.

Enjoy your Sunday,

Love Catherine x

PS. The fun stuff!

  • Aussie friends, this is what donuts are in Canada. 🇨🇦 Please, please can someone open a chain of donut shops here?

  • Shoes! I’ve tried everything this year to recover from a foot injury, and these cute sneakers work so well for me. If you have wide feet, worth a try. Also these ones are great.

  • Cute jelly sandals — summer’s coming in Australia! And pearl studded strappy flats.

  • Fluffy slippers that would make morning coffee so much happier! :)

  • Song I’m loving: Crash and Burn and surprise…it’s country music. Never thought I’d say that! (Hey, MUM…you’ll like this one.) Best-ever Canadian memory: with my 90 year old mum, taking turns playing songs we love on Spotify, and dancing in our matching pjs.

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Three Things Worth Enjoying

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Hello, everyone, and hi to all the new people this week. Look what’s happening in Sydney…tulips! Spring is here on 1 September and I can’t wait!

This week I wanted to share three things worth enjoying. Let’s go!

1. Consider making bread. Gluten and carbs, I know, I know, but this is so fun. I’ve written about this easy focaccia before, and if you want to feel domestic and successful, you can make it.

2. Dust off your beautiful dishes and use them. When our beloved ‘adopted’ Australian grandmother died, we inherited her set of Royal Crown Derby. Her real family was kind enough to ask if we’d like them (before they went in the Op Shop box - gah!)…and I use them on the weekends. I’m guessing there are pretty things in your cupboards, too.

3. Share some gratitude. Not just be grateful. Share “grateful.” Spread some heartfelt compliments. Tell the people you love that you see what they’re doing. Say something fun and appreciative today to a person who might not expect it. It’s an old, tired cliche because it’s true:

Everyone, everyone, everyone needs a kind word. You can give it.

Enjoy your weekend, and have fun loving all the people you’ve been given to love.

Catherine xx

PS. The fun stuff!

I share links here to things I’m enjoying. Sometimes it’s a product I’ve bought, sometimes a poem or a recipe, a quote or a thought or an activity. Or a book I’ve written. No pressure, just for fun.

Hi, I'm back!

Friends, I had the best time in my beloved Canada!

Hugged my mum a million times, celebrated her 90th birthday (we wore yellow…from The 10 Minute Fix, remember?), met up with blog readers (a treat!), saw my best friend from high school — we’ve known each other 41 years — and finished off with four days in Vancouver with my favourite cousin, who’s like a bonus sister to me. The laughing dude above is one of several in Morton Park, Vancouver.

And you?? In case you haven’t been asked today, how are you?

Where’s your heart at?

Have the winds of change been blowing your way?

Wish I could gather all of you up and invite you to my kitchen table. I’d make you lunch, probably this most delicious salad in the world, and ask you how you are.

Then I’d sit back and listen.

I’m feeling so contemplative, like I’m birthing a change but I’m not sure what it is yet.

So this is what I’m doing:

  1. Walking a lot.

  2. Putting myself to bed early.

  3. Eating leafy greens at every meal. Ridiculous, but greens make me feel happier. Kinder to myself.

  4. Wondering about my life….

Because this is true for all of us:

For me, it’s time to sit down and think about what I love and where I’m heading.

Sending so much joy your way today. I hope something unexpected and wonderful happens to you.

Love Catherine x

PS. The fun stuff!