The Answers in Life

The Same Lesson – Four Times

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A recent novel, Julie Andrews, my love of coffee, and a trip to Scandinavia all come together to teach the same lesson, four times over, the importance of the small things in life.

The recent novel:

I just finished How to Read a Book by Monica Wood. It was my favorite type of novel where three strangers come together to form a family of sorts. In this case, two of the three were a convicted female felon (Violet) and a retired teacher who led a book club in the prison. Beyond the road to friendship between the two, the book also shows the lesson mentioned in the book’s title. Bookie the Book Lady tells her prison women that in a book one must not just look at the story, but also one must look for the meanwhile, the stuff happening in the background. 

When Violet is released from prison and finds herself scared to death in the outside world, she describes things this way: “Felon from Abbott Falls on the terrifying Outs: story. Book Lady plinking dishes at the felon’s sink: meanwhile.”  The Book Lady’s presence is seemingly a small thing happening there in the background.

Years later, by the book’s end – and the end of Violet’s life – the friendship-that-was-a-meanwhile is far more important than any of the ups and downs Violet experienced in her life. The meanwhile became the story. The small thing turned out to be large.

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Julie Andrews sings us the lesson next:

We all know the song, “My Favorite Things,” from the 1959 musical, The Sound of Music. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein wrote the song that famously reminds us of the joy in small things:

“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,

bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens,

brown paper packages tied up with strings,

these are a few of my favorite things.”

The song goes on to tell us that when life starts to careen out of control with dog bites and bee stings and feelings of sadness, it is a good idea to focus on the good things in life. All those wonderful things we enjoy in our own “meanwhile,” the background of our life.

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Which leads to my fondness for coffee:

I often think to myself how wonderful it is that such a small thing as coffee can bring me so much pleasure.

It also brings me laughter in this form:

• Caffeine, the other Vitamin C.
• I don’t perk until my coffee does.
• Who cares if the cup is half empty or half-filled as long as there’s coffee in it, I’m good.
• Pro-caffeinating – the tendency not to start anything until you’ve had a cup of coffee.
• Depresso is the feeling you get when you run out of coffee.

While I know not everyone appreciates coffee, the other “small thing” mentioned here is happy-making for all – laughter.

Of course, it is not a small thing at all. The Mayo Clinic tells us there is scientific evidence in support of the statement that “Laughter is the Best Medicine,” which happens to be the title of their story. In it they tell us about laughter-causing decreases in cortisol and increases in endorphins. These mechanisms in turn help to relieve pain, and to decrease depression, anxiety, and tension. Better still, beyond being science-y, they share these chuckles/quotes:

• “A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.” Phyllis Diller
• “You don’t stop laughing because you grow older. You grow older because you stop laughing.” Maurice Chevalier

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And to continue the laughter, try saying this five times, fast: friluftsliv

On a recent trip to Scandinavia, I was intrigued by the culture and researched it a bit upon returning home. Thus, I found a report from WorldPopulationReview.com that five of the seven happiest countries in the world are the Nordic countries: Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, and Norway. A bit more research found an article from ModernDane.com that teaches “Nordic know-how.” It introduces a Nordic vocabulary of small things that are large.

• Friluftsliv (free-loofts-liv) – spending time outdoors
• Fika (fee-ka) – taking a break in the day for coffee, tea, or to recharge
• Lagom (law-gum) – finding balance: not too much or too little, but just right
• Hygge (hue-gah) – feeling content with the present moment
• Lykke (lik-eh) – luck, good fortune, happiness

Simple concepts such as these have helped Scandinavian folks corner the market on happiness. Should we be astounded by this or laugh it off as too facile an explanation?

Whenever I am inclined to scoff at the importance of the little things in life, I think of a new-age-y friend who stated the sentiment grandly: The answers in life are really quite simple, it’s just accepting they are the answers that is so difficult.

Hmmm…Sounds like coffee time to me!

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