Each year I participate in a memory keeping project called One Little Word^® by Ali Edwards. This year I picked bliss as my word. The plan was to use bliss as my guide to making intentional choices throughout the year. I picked the word in January before 2020 went off the rails.

I started full of hope and excitement and although I drifted away from my word for many months I found my way back. The reality is that life will always be full of distractions. Happiness or a state of bliss doesn’t just happen. It is a result of the choices that we make.

I took The Science of Well-Being course offered by Yale through Coursera. It takes both a scientific and practical approach to happiness. One of the key ways to experience happiness is through expressing gratitude. Since I finished the course, I’ve been keeping a weekly journal logging everything I am grateful for this year.