Dear Readers,

When I was a teenager, I was accustomed to getting high (no, it’s not what
you think) from taking jazz dance classes, which I was addicted to.  I would
take 4 or 5 classes a week because I always felt so great afterwards.

I’d promised myself for years that I’d get back to taking jazz dance
classes, and I’d even identified a local gym that offers the classes.  But
for the last year, I’ve convinced myself that I’m just too busy to go–I
have too many interviews to do, speeches to give, and writing to complete,
and I decided I’d do it when I get more time.

This morning, I stopped making excuses!  Even though it is actually one of
my busier times right now, as I am preparing for the launch of Happy for No
Reason in paperback in two weeks (March 3), I woke up this morning, knowing
I had to get some exercise (or go a bit crazy).  I put on my exercise
clothes, got my body in the car, and pointed the car in the direction of the
gym.  Lo and behold, I found myself in the class, and I had a blast!  The
music was great, the camaraderie was wonderful and those endorphins are
fabulous.  And this great feeling has lasted throughout the day.  I think
I’m addicted again.

We’ll actually know on Thursday morning when the next class is held whether
this sticks.  Now that I’m telling it to all of you, I’m sure I’ll have
extra motivation to keep it up. You’ll be asking me, right?

This is definitely my happiness drug of choice for today.

Love with a spring in my step,
Marci

Happy Valentine’s Day.

This is a special day for me.  While I’ve always treasured that we have a day every year devoted to love, today is also the 3rd anniversary of my father’s passing.  It is so perfect that he made his transition on Valentine’s Day, as he was absolutely the embodiment of love.  Dad, I’m thinking of you with so much gratitude and love for being an extraordinary father and amazing man!

This particular Valentine’s Day also has a unique twist.  According to the astrology experts, this is the first day of “The Age of Aquarius.” Remember the famous song from the musical, Hair, about the Age of Aquarius:

When the moon is in the seventh house
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars.

That astrological alignment happens today. We have now officially left 2,000 years of The Age of Pisces and have entered into a new era.

So may today be the first day of a time when peace resides in all our hearts and love steers all our lives.

Happily, Marci

Hello readers,

I just had a cool synchronicity the other day in the Tokyo airport. I was checking my email while waiting for a flight connection, and I happened to get an email telling me about the book sales of HAPPY FOR NO REASON in Japan.  It was fantastic news.  The book, which was just translated in Japanese in November, is a huge hit and is already in its 19th printing with stacks of them in all the bookstores.  I didn’t have time to run to the airport bookstore to see the display (though I couldn’t have deciphered which were my books anyway without a salesperson’s help), but I’ll do that on my next trip.  So much fun that this message of happiness is spreading around the globe.

Tell me about a time when you experienced undeniable synchronicity! I’d love to hear.

Happily, Marci

When you realize how perfect everything is, you will tilt
your head back and laugh at the sky. – Buddha

Today is my birthday (51, but who’s counting?). I’m celebrating in a very special way—on a spiritual pilgrimage in Thailand with a group of 40 American tourists.

I’m so delighted by the people of Thailand, which is often called “The Land of 1,000 Smiles.” The minute I landed in Bangkok I noticed that everyone looked so joyful and at peace. The Thai truly seem to live up to their nickname, as everyone was smiling.

Today I asked Mam, our tour guide, why she thought the people here are happy, and she gave me three very wise answers.

First, Mam said, “We don’t worry about things, we let them go. There is a common expression in Thai, ‘Ma Phen Rai,’ which means ‘Don’t worry, never mind.’ So whenever something doesn’t go our way or makes us a bit irritated, we just say, Ma Phen Rai, and we let it go. If someone’s late, we just take it easy. If we forget to do something that can be done tomorrow, it’s fine.” (It sounds like their version of “Don’t sweat the small stuff!”)

Secondly, Mam said, “We are contented, which leads to happiness. We are satisfied with what we have, whether it is a little or a lot. We feel, ‘I have enough, and I am enough.’”

Finally, she added, “We don’t compare. We appreciate what we have without looking at what other people have or what they do.”

This explains the lightness of spirit in Mam and the other Thai people I’ve encountered on this journey. Their life is not easier or less stressful—quite the contrary—they just know how to let go, be at peace, and focus on the good.

I experienced a visible demonstration of this the other day. My taxi got caught in a rush-hour traffic jam in downtown Bangkok that made any LA traffic jam look like the Indy 500. Nobody was moving, and yet as I looked around I didn’t see anyone getting angry or impatient. People seemed to just accept the situation as it was and not react to it. It was a profound difference from what I’m used to seeing on the freeways in the States.

As I thought about how to bring this relaxed and healthy attitude back home with me, I remembered a daily process renowned cultural anthropologist Angeles Arrien recommends. She says that according to ancient wisdom traditions, everyone should ask themselves three questions at the end of the day:

1. What made me happy today?
2. Where did I experience comfort and balance today?
3. Who or what inspired me today?

Ask yourself these questions before you go to sleep for the next few weeks, and notice how it helps you see more of the perfection around you. Then you too can join the ranks of smiling people who “laugh at the sky.”

Happily, Marci