The New York Times recently started a new newsletter called The Good List. It is a newsletter that has good news from the week. On the first day of sign-up, so many people signed up that the NYT couldn’t handle all the requests. Which is wonderful! Imagine so many people interesting in reading good news!
Melissa Kirsch is the editor of the Good List and, separate from this newsletter, she likes to make a list of the things that bring her joy. Her list isn’t a to-do list or a best list. It is things that are good to her. It is a very subjective list because it is personal. The newsletter goes beyond this, but it stems from this very personal list she has been keeping for a while.
I like the idea of a list like this. It is easy to see bad things. The news is full of things that cause me anxiety and make me angry. In fact, the worse the news, the more people seem to pay attention to it. This week I have particularly been avoiding an article titled “I predicted the 2008 Financial Crisis. What Is Coming May Be Worse.” I feel like I am resisting the call of addiction by not clicking on the link. Will it help me live my life, day to day? No. But it will most likely increase my anxiety, so who needs it?
Instead, I have taken up the idea of having my own Good List. Every day I try to write down one thing that has brought me joy. Some days I write down more than one thing. Some days I don’t write down anything. It doesn’t matter if I do it every day. It is my list and it is designed to bring me joy, not worry. What is on my list this week?
- Daffodils and hyacinths blooming in the yard
- Playing dominoes with my mom, dad, and Tom
- Taking a windy walk with Tom
- Clean sheets on my freshly made bed
- Girl Scout cookies delivered by a very cute Girl Scout
- Finding enough of the perfect yarn for a sweater at my local yarn shop
- The checkbook balancing without any errors
- Laughing with my friend Wendy
- Smell of homemade brownies fresh out of the oven
These are all things that brought me joy. They are little things but they made my life better this week. Seeing them written down brings them to mind again and makes my heart lighter. Imagine how many I will have after a year! The Good List reminds me, in the midst of challenging times, that there are still many reasons to be thankful every day.
What is on your Good List today?