Life is Full of Choices: The Need for Novelty

What bit of magic sparks real happiness in an individual? Is it money or fame or power? Have the uber-rich and famous individuals on our great planet achieved a level of happiness that exceeds my own paltry down-to-earth brand of joy? Does a sense of power put all your ducks in a row? I mean, do bosses really rule? Is happiness a state of being that one just drifts through inconsequentially in life or something to pursue and ascribe to?

For me, boredom is an inhibitor to my daily pursuit of happiness. Boredom - that repetitive detractor of creativity and curiosity. Now, that is not to say that I'm unhappy when taking some time to read quietly on the patio or absent-mindedly scrolling through my Twitter feed. As Alice in Wonderland might say, "curiouser and curiouser." Conformity without challenge and novelty is not for me!

According to the Oxford Dictionary, the word "novelty" literally means a quality of newness, of being original, or unusual. I love newness, original, and the unique.

In the spirit of novelty, I have been on the hunt for novel experiences these past few weeks.

Something to Taste:

Until this year I have (shockingly) never tried mussels. That's right, mussels. I tried them in May for the very first time in Kotor, Montenegro while on our Mediterranean cruise. And I LOVED them!!

Oh my goodness, those tiny morsels of salty briny deliciousness completely besotted me. Now I want them all the time. I have now tried them on the above-mentioned cruise ship later that week, in two different downtown Phoenix restaurants, and last week in San Diego at a fish market. I have now found that they can be prepared very well, and not so very well too.

But they are new and completely amazing to me.

A Mode of Transport:

There really are lots of ways to get around, get around, I get around!

Just last weekend my mom, my sister, my niece, and I went to San Diego for a little girl-time. We had so much fun wandering Coronado Island, Seaport Village, and the Gaslamp District. The weather was glorious with a high temp of maybe 82 degrees, when back in good old Phoenix it was well over 110 blistering degrees. We were looking for something fun to do on Sunday morning and happened upon a 4-person surrey rental. So off we went - the four of us happily pedaling along the shore.

A Method of Expression:

I am really enjoying a new-found artistic side of myself. And I am really stretching the word "artistic" more than I probably should. I have been dabbling in a few painting projects at the local Paint 'n Wine place. Now I won't share them here, but I'm having a blast trying it all out. Bright colors, and really good artist/teachers giving me a few hours at a time to stretch myself.

A New Neighborhood:

Oh yes... several new neighborhoods this summer. We've been everywhere from Barcelona, Spain

to Marseille, France

and Istanbul, Turkey

to Main Street, USA in Disneyland!!

The Big Screen:

I love movies, I absolutely LOVE movies. As a matter of fact, I'm watching "Jerry Maguire" as I type this blog. I love the smell of popcorn and the feeling of sitting in the darkened theatre with the giant sounds of the big screen all around me. What's new about this in my search for novelty?

Every single movie I see. I try to see a new movie 2-3 times a month and find myself laughing, weeping, scornful, and amazed every time I walk out of the movie house.

What did I see this week?

"Ricki & the Flash" with Meryl Streep. It was good, not great, but good.

The Little Screen Too:

Erin has convinced me to try "Once", the ABC show of several seasons.

So, I've tried it and for this lover of fairy-tales I'm finding it pretty adorable.

Books & Book Club:

I have been racing my way through book after book this summer. I must be on some kind of reading kick - oh, wait. I have been on a reading kick since my grandma taught me to read when I was 4 years old. On my list this past month...

Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker... meh

The Girl on the Train ... fantastic, easy read

All the Light We Cannot See... wonderful and complex

In the Unlikely Event ... historical fiction I raced through

and

At the Water's Edge... just started.

I can't help myself!!