Category: Happiness

white ceramic teacup with saucer near two books above gray floral textile
Blog, Happiness

Romance and Reading Resolutions

Christina Hollis

I’m combining romance and reading resolutions in this week’s blog.

Have you tried the Action for Happiness project I wrote about here? Their suggestion for Monday the sixth worked well for me. It was a dismal day weather-wise, and if that wasn’t bad enough the house had that particularly bare look that comes when the Christmas decorations have been taken down.

Then I checked the Action for Happiness Calendar (you can find it here). It said take five minutes to sit still and just breathe.  That in itself was really relaxing, and it made me happy in another way, too. Every year, I plant bowls of hyacinth bulbs for forcing into flower over the holiday season. Every year in the past, they have either flowered in early December or early January – never on the intended days.

A Holiday Double

In 2024, for the first time ever, we had a bowl of pink hyacinths in bloom on Christmas Day. In a stunning double, a bowl of yellow hyacinths were just coming into flower for New Year’s Day, and there were five spikes looking like this last Monday. It was a real pleasure to spend those five minutes looking at this, and breathing in the lovely fragrance of hyacinths

This week, I’m using the Action for Happiness calendar as a springboard to find other ways of brightening up my life. My first four suggestions are below. I’m including a suitable book with each of them, because reading is an affordable route to happiness everyone can take.

Make The Most Of Every Day

It can’t be a coincidence that the word present means both a gift, and the period of time that separates the past from the future. Each morning offers us a fresh start, so take a moment to learn from yesterday, and then leave tomorrow to worry about itself for a while. Try and concentrate on the here and now.

I wrote here about wanting to read more books which showcase older heroines, and One Day in Summer by Shari Low fits the bill perfectly.  For years, Agnetha devoted herself to caring first for her children and later, her ageing parents. At forty-five, she is now finally free to concentrate on herself.  This story takes place over the course of a day, and shows how life can change in an instant. Shari Low brings a great collection of characters to life, and spins a tale where grief and the lasting pain of betrayal is contrasted with love and joy.

Book cover of Shari Low's book One Day In Summer. Pale blue background with summer flowers, strawberries and butterflies.

Make Time For Yourself

When the weather is good, I love working in the garden. That’s my “me” time. Seeing my family eat the fruit and vegetables I grow gives me a real sense of achievement, as well as pleasure. I also try and meditate every day. It’s something I’ve been doing since lockdown, with mixed success. It definitely helps me unwind, but my mind often feels like a box full of butterflies.

I have mixed feelings about the book Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. It’s a fascinating read, and there’s no doubt her journey of self-discovery inspires strong feelings. It offers a glimpse of what an American woman is supposed to view as success. Liz Gilbert took making time for herself to the ultimate level. She walked away from her marriage and travelled the world to try and fill the emptiness she felt inside. This book is literary Marmite – in other words, you’ll either love it, or hate it. There is no middle way, but it does show that healing comes in many forms. The rainbow of escape stretches all the way from the innocuous taking time out for five minutes, to a self-indulgent crock of something – but is it gold? 

Book cover of Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray Love, with the title made from pasta, beads and flower petals

Escape With Romance

Reading is the perfect escape from winter. It’s even better if you can lose yourself in a book while curled up beside a lovely log fire, cat on lap, tea and cake to hand (Thinks: I wonder if this is why I haven’t lost any weight yet, despite my New Year’s Resolution?)

One Day in December by Josie Silver  is a romantic tale spanning years. Heroine Laurie doesn’t believe in love at first sight – until it hits her straight between the eyes. She spends months looking out for a man she spotted through a misty bus window. When they finally meet face-to-face, it’s when Laurie’s best friend introduces the mystery man as Jack, her new boyfriend. Laurie has just missed the bus, you might say. What follows is years of friendship, and missed opportunities woven into a moving love story.

Cartoon of couple kissing in a snow flurry, beneath a streetlamp.

Take A Mini Break

Obviously, if you’re one of the lucky few who can drop everything and fly off on an exotic holiday at  moment’s notice, that’s the perfect way to recharge your batteries. For the rest of us, a change in our routine can make all the difference. Pack a lunch to eat in the park instead of at home, or in your workplace. It makes a huge difference. I didn’t realise how close I was to burnout until I ate my sandwiches in the park one day, instead of at my desk. I felt so much better after spending my lunch break out in the open air, I decided to do it as often as I could.

If you are short of time or money, reading is the perfect escape. My own book, Royal Passion, whisks readers away to a glorious Greek island where a troubled king is trying to hide his identity, and an executive with burnout is about to discover she hasn’t been given the promotion she deserves. Both Leo and Sara are damaged and disillusioned, but love, as we all know, makes everything better. Drawn together despite their different circumstances, Leo and Sara face being torn apart by disaster. Will their story end in tragedy? You can find out here.

Book Cover, Christina Hollis's Royal Passion. Romantic couple superimposed on a beautiful Grecian beach scene https://amzn.to/40s4IvN

Let me know what you think of these ideas, and my book choices. How are you getting on with the Action for Happiness Challenge?

To Find Out More…

…about me, click here. To buy my latest book, Royal Hostage, click here, and to receive my monthly newsletter, click here.

Beekeeping, celebrity, Happiness, United Nations., wealth

Writing Brings Riches…

Christina Hollis
…and there were skylarks singing, too!

…although it may not be the sort you can take to the bank. Someone at the United Nations has been brave enough to suggest there might be other ways of measuring a country’s wealth beyond balance sheets.  You can read the Daily Telegraph’s take on the story; Lollipops, washing machines and sleeping patterns show a nation’s true wealth here.

I have a terrible Daily Mail habit, checking the online headlines every morning before work.   I stick to the main pages, but it’s impossible to miss the dozens of famous faces featuring alongside the more serious news items.   Most of them are famous simply for being famous, and what good does it do them?  Our celebrity culture builds people up, only to knock them down again. A woman might become a national heroine for the way she looks, then five minutes later will be rubbished for daring to go out to the supermarket without makeup. What sort of a country do we live in, when a person’s appearance and size of their bank balance is seen to be more important than their happiness? When images of lavish lifestyles are the only things we see on line and in the press, day after day, it’s no wonder may people feel dissatisfied and resentful of the old nine-to-five. But we’re only fed the images the media choose to give us.  It’s a highly distorted view. I’m willing to bet that at least 99% of us worry about money, and know what it’s like to struggle to pay the bills.  Children brought up on a diet of “reality” shows (many of which are scripted, directed and otherwise faked, anyway) will have a skewed idea of what real life is like. It’s setting them up for a whole lot of disappointment and disillusion.

One of mine. Probably.

We’re always looking to improve ourselves, our lot and our position in life. It’s part of being human. But be honest – once our basic needs for food, clean water, shelter, sanitation and health care are met, everything else is pure gravy. Yesterday the sun shone and the birds were singing. I felt better than I’ve felt for months, and sat in the garden doing nothing except listening to the laying hens cackling and watching my bees escorting their new queen on her first mating flight. None of that cost me a penny, yet I wouldn’t have swapped places with Queen Elizabeth herself.  Incidentally, the life of a Royal looks far better than it lives. Exchanging personal privacy for unimaginable wealth is a step too far, in my opinion. Last week I skipped church, just to spend more time in the garden. The Defender Of The Faith would never get away with that one!

There’s nothing wrong with working hard, and trying to improve your family’s living standards. But as well as waking up and smelling the coffee, why not try kicking back and listening to the birds once in a while?