I’m not really a self-help kinda girl, but when I was passing by the shop and saw this sunny, bright yellow book in the window, I had to buy it.
It’s called: “Happy is the new healthy” by Dave Romanelli.
Now I’m not going to go all in for a book review, and to be honest this book is pretty much what you expect – pithy, positive and full of platitudes – but, there was something about it I liked. Maybe it was my state of mind at the time, but I wanted to reach out and find more happy in my life – not that I’m unhappy, but I figure there’s always room for more happiness.
And that’s what I liked about this book, because it inspired me to look for and try and create more happy in my life. I’m not talking all big, shebang whizzy stuff that beams your face out, but more simple happy. Everyday happy that makes you feel today was memorable because…
So, having finished the book in a little under two hours I decided today’s happy mission was to go buy a vintage game for our board game party we’re having at the weekend. This is a job that could so easily be done over the net – but that was not the point. The point was to get out and explore and find. Plus, the sun was shining – so that’s always a great start.
Muswell Hill was my first stop off point and having scoured round the charity shops for vintage games, I just wasn’t feeling it. Yes, I’d found Countdown – but I never really liked that anyhow, so what was the point?
So I caught the bus to Highgate, I didn’t allow myself to look at my phone or to check my emails. I simply looked out of the window. It was marvellous.
Again, treasures of the vintage game world were not to be had in Highgate and so I decided to call it quits and walk back via the park. However, with the sun still shining I decided to go a different way back that would take me past the cemetery.
I pondered how I would be a long time dead.
Then decided to go to West Hampstead. Unbelievably, the bus arrived just 30 seconds after I had made that decision and again I sat NOT LOOKING AT MY PHONE and enjoyed looking out of the window. Even when the passengers were up in arms about the diversion I inwardly smiled – I’d never taken the route anyhow and so had no idea where I was meant to be going and instead took notes of the places I want to go back and eat and drink at.
After a variable quality cream cake at Wenzel (I really wanted a pretzel, but they don’t sell them, which surprised me as I thought they looked German and I was quite sure all German bakeries should sell pretzels, but maybe I got them confused…) I trotted round the shops some more. Up and down the high street I went like some sort of lunatic shopper. But alas, there were no vintage board games to be had.
Not willing to give up, and given the sun was still shining I decided to aim for Finchley and Frognall – via the map on the roadside. Yes, there was no google maps for me – I was doing this analogue style and perfectly enjoying the experience of getting lost.
Down the Finchley road I found myself enjoying the polluted traffic fumes while again noting down future restaurants of interest…before long I found myself in Swiss Cottage.
“What exoticism!” I exclaimed to myself. And smiled smugly.
Of course, the truth is – Swiss Cottage is a dual carriageway, but no matter, happy can be anywhere.
And so I continued my trot. In and out of the shops, peeking, seeking and not quite getting anywhere. Until…there stuffed behind a teddy bear jigsaw puzzle I found my prize “Go For Broke.”
Ecstatic I jumped my little frame off the floor to clip the corner of the box into my grabby hands. 1994. 25 years old. Perfect. Vintage.
More Happy Found 🙂