happiness

Modern mental health science has focused all its energy and attention on the whys, hows, and cures for depression. However, far less time has been spent studying happiness. It’s as if happiness were taken for granted as our “normal” state, and depression is not a natural state as well. And while it’s true that negative […]

by Laura Carbonell

Where happiness grows

Happiness grows wherever you plant the seeds, but if you don’t care for them, they shrivel and die. Although it’s a known fact, it’s easily overlooked and we often pay more attention to someone else’s garden of happiness wishing it were ours without tending our own. Happiness grows from the seeds we care for. We water […]

by Laura Carbonell

Breakthrough to my old happy self

There’s been a lot of mourning in my life these past two years. And now I’m finally my old happy self. So much change, and shattering heartbreak from the losses of friends and pups. This past week, thanks to my dear friends and family, there’s been an actual breakthrough, at long last. From fog to light, […]

by Laura Carbonell

The thrill of being alone

Ever since I was 16 I’ve been in a relationship. The fear of being alone was scary, so you can well imagine that some of my choices were not the best. Sometimes, I now feel, I didn’t even choose, they chose me, and out of fear of solitude, I went with it. Yes, very sad. […]

by Laura Carbonell

Shoe addiction; just another escape

Drinking, I thought would take away all my fears and demons, but it only doubled them once the effect was over. That chapter of my life is long gone but there is always something that will substitute that addiction. Addiction is a distraction, a way to escape the moment and hopefully, it will make us […]

by Laura Carbonell

Fifty: payback time

All those fun parties, sleepless nights, stress and some gold old drugs in your youth come at a price once you turn fifty. But, it’s inevitable. When you are young you think you are immune to everything, as it should be. Living a super conscious and cautious life in your youth is no way to live. Some […]

by Laura Carbonell

Cereales con Cariño: What’s really important

I’m Spanish. My grandmother raised me alongside my father. We celebrated all those wonderful family traditions, and family gatherings filled with love. I remember our breakfasts, sitting at the table listening to the radio, which also gave us the time every minute in the middle of telling us a story. It was called Radio Minuto. […]

by Laura Carbonell

Endings are important

He is a good man. Honest, charming, highly intelligent and gifted. I’m happy to have shared a life with him. As we let go now, I only wish him well because I do love him. He was an important part of my life, which I don’t wish to tarnish. Endings are important and ours is […]

by Laura Carbonell

The art of Joy

My new favorite word that can fix almost any problem I may have. I never gave it much thought before until I read Spark Joy, but now it has become the measure of what I want in my life and what I don’t. When in doubt, I do a joy check. Does this person, thing, […]

by Laura Carbonell

Why do we become more solemn as we age?

When I was much younger I wondered why older people seemed grimmer, smiled less, and often were party poopers. You went to them with your youthful excitement to tell them your latest endeavor, yet you were not greeted in kind but were offered instead words of caution.