Happier at Home

What I noticed most when reading Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin was how familiar the material seemed. It’s not surprising that she refers to her 8 Splendid Truths and her Personal Commandments from The Happiness Project and her blog. These are the underpinnings of her pursuit of happiness, and it makes sense that she will apply them to the nine domestic areas she explores in detail in her newest book: possessions; marriage; parenthood; attitudes; time; body; family; neighborhood; living in the now.

 

She did approach some of these areas in thought-provoking ways. The point that when dealing with happiness re possessions it isn’t so much organization, elimination, or accumulation but engagement with our possessions that brings happiness was interesting. A craving for simplicity is not so much because of a profusion of too many things, but that so many of those things are meaningless to our lives because we don’t engage with them. For example, clothes that don’t fit or something that is broken or no longer meets a need. The disengaged stuff feels like burdens. The goal is to only have possessions with which we engage and/or love.

 

Something that resonated personally was her decision to take time to thoroughly read manuals for electronics or computer programs or cameras to lessen feelings of incompetence and frustration. Scheduling manual reading time is now on my to-do list. There are so many pieces of equipment, etc. with which I have only a nodding get-by acquaintance.

 

To make changes that bring joy, satisfaction, engagement, one must identify what elements do that for you. Sometimes the immediate result of knowing one’s self better means facing the truth of one’s limitations, shortcomings, and even indifference to certain aspects of life. That might bring sadness and unhappiness short-term, but eventually it allows one to direct efforts, time, and resources to that which is most likely to achieve a happier life. You can set meaningful goals once you understand yourself rather than taking a scatter-gun approach.

 

Rubin creates habits and rituals based on her needs and personality. So must we. Though she writes of specifics, they will be different for each of us. Still, keeping in mind that gratitude is the key to a happy life and that we should slow down to appreciate the texture of our life, we will figure out our own specifics if we take the time to reflect.

 

She embraced good smells, including purchasing synthetic smells that stimulated Proustian memories from her past. For someone like me who has to avoid strong fragrances that exacerbate allergies and asthma that won’t work. But ideas such as “spending out”, i.e., not saving things for a special occasion and later, but really engaging with them frequently probably would play well for most of us.

 

With her blog, books, column in Good Housekeeping magazine, Rubin has lost freshness for me. I did find a few ways to have a happier home once I paused to reflect, but the ideas are getting stale for me. It may be time to move on.

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It’s not too late to enter to win a copy of Gretchen Rubin's  new Happier At Home. She is giving away a copy a day until September 4th when the book hits the market.
I have been going to some links from Carolyn Aiken's blog. Today, one is from a lady in Sweden. I usually go mainly to see the photos, but I noticed at the top that there is a translator button. I clicked on it; rather awkward English phrasing, but I understood the writing. It pleases me to see international sites (Carolyn lives on Prince Edward Island, Canada; this Swedish one; an earlier one in France) because though there are cultural differences, all of these blogs feature their homes. They show how they incorporate seasonal changes and collectables into the décor and add beauty. Most of them have gorgeous photos of flowers. Whether they are creating sanctuaries (introverts) or a platform for hosting and entertaining people (extroverts), they have enhanced life.

Remember the little blue glass basket I shared with you? I became curious whether it had any manufacturer’s marks. All I could find were the initials BM where the handle attaches to the body of the basket. Isn’t the internet wonderful for solving mysteries? I found two identical baskets on ebay, one still up for auction, the other a completed sale. I learned these are from Indiana Glass Company. Once I had that information, I could go on a search for historical facts.
Actually, it appears the little baskets were part of Tiara Exclusives which technically was a subsidiary of Lancaster Colony Corp., the parent of Indiana Glass Company since the 1950s. Tiara did not manufacture items, but was a selling company for the home-party market which was so popular in 1970 when Tiara was created. The most valuable commodity for companies like Indiana Glass Company was the pressed-glass molds and patterns they had developed thru the years. They reissued some of these in new colors for Tiara. These were unavailable elsewhere, thus the “exclusives” label. You can read a good description of Tiara’s history at this website.
To diversify its product line, Tiara had other glass manufacturers make some items. Therefore, it is possible that my little basket was made somewhere other than Dunkirk, Indiana. But I am inclined to think it was made at Indiana Glass Company. One of the internet sites said:
The only permanent marks one may find on a piece of Tiara glass are initials from a few of the Indiana glassworkers. At one time, Tiara requested that the glass finishers initial one item - the handmade baskets. This was to add an extra prominence to the popular product. It also made for easy employee identification. If a flaw was noticed on this difficult, yet popular piece, the correct glassworker could be questioned. I am listing name which correspond to the initials you may find on some of the Tiara handmade glass baskets. M.D. Milford Davis, T.W. Tom Walker, M.B. Marlene Baker, P.W. Paul White, J.C. Jim Clay, B.M. Benton McCowan, D.B. David Bales, M.R. Mike Robinson, J.T. John Thompson, J.D. Jim Dunlavy, E.T. Ed Templeton, D.T. Darrell Templeton. When I tried to find information about Benton McCowan, I discovered very little. However, there was another older person listed on a Rootsweb family history from Dunkirk who worked at Indiana Glass Company. He was Jerry McCowan. Benton was born about 1930 re the entry and that is all it says. He was the son of Levi McCowan.
I have reason to believe my little basket was made in 1991 or 1992. If so, Benton would be close to retirement age. Hopefully, he was no longer working at Indiana Glass Company in 2002 when the glassmaking facilities were closed down after a prolonged labor union dispute. The closing devastated the small town of Dunkirk, Indiana. A few people who could fix broken molds remained as the molds were kept by Lancaster Colony who moved the manufacturing to Oklahoma, a free-labor state. Finished products from Oklahoma also were stored in Dunkirk for distribution.
I plan to look at a book about Indiana Glass Company at my local public library next week. I am convinced my purchase was manufactured by them. I bought the basket because I like it and felt it would add to my home décor, but I am happy that it was not “made in China”, but has Hoosier roots.