Happy Book

Over the spring break of my senior year of high school, I volunteered in Pearlington, Mississippi with a group of people from my school district to build houses for those who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. We traveled the 18-hour bus ride, slept in an empty elementary school on wooden bunk beds, used porta potties, and showered in sulfar water that smelled like rotten eggs. It was the best week of my life.

The elementary school we stayed at in Pearlington.

Only part of the group of students that went on the trip.

One of the girls on the trip had a simple notebook she called her Happy Book. She passed it around throughout the week and explained the rules:

• Pick up the number where the previous person left off
• Create a list of things that make you happy, it does not matter what it is
• Sign and date your entry

Needless to say, this book was a huge hit. We brought the Happy Book idea to our high school. I created Happy Books for friends on their birthdays, writing lists of a hundred or more things that made me happy. Some friends even put pictures in my Happy Book, turning it into somewhat of a scrapbook of memories. I brought my Happy Book with me to college, constantly reading through the entries my freshman year because my friends were at different universities. It was a great way to feel connected to my friends.

I've decided to make an entry in my Happy Book this week, reminiscing my college life. I plan on asking my close friends to put in their own entries as well (get ready, guys!). This is such a simple way to have friends contribute to your book of memories. Go ahead and try it!

Just some examples of entries in the Happy Book.