Why it matters: The things most likely to fill you up are rarely the ones on your to-do list. When we intentionally make space for the simple (and possibly the free) we're not wasting time. We're saying yes to joy over tasking, and building the kind of life that makes the hard work feel worth it.
There’s a pink glow to the sky, as the sun sets and the residents start to appear for their evening stroll.
There’s more people out than normal, since the construction has peaked curious minds into exploring what’s been changed.
The new stone walking path charms me, as I see the small loop it takes around a pond, and one particularly charming house that sits on the water’s edge. The local market (really just a farm stand when you get down to it) positioned close to the neighborhood, allows easy access to an accessibly car-free community.
There’s no cars here anyway, at least not yet.
As the builder decides that they’re done for the night, even they stop to admire all that they’ve accomplished in such a short few hours- moving houses, laying paths, planting flowers, adding food sources and even a small mercantile.
It makes them incredibly happy, these small and beautiful updates.
The builder signs off for the night satisfied, the builder being me. I connect the joysticks back to the Nintendo Switch base so that it can charge until the next time my cozy little town gets to come to life.
A few hours of work. A fictional pond. A cute little village that exists only in pixels.
And yet, genuinely, purely, happy.
I'm still thinking about it the next morning, as I continue to mull over the town: how has this small, insignificant game added a layer of pure happiness to the last 12 hours? And why don't I give myself permission to do it more often?
This month in the Novelty Experiment, I've been looking for free experiences. And what I keep finding, underneath all the research on novelty and new experiences, is that it's hard to talk about novelty without bumping directly into happiness.
They seem to be neighbors. Maybe roommates.
Which sent me down a rabbit hole, because happiness has always felt slippery to me- not in experiencing it, but in how to help others find it. How to point someone toward it without making it sound like a destination you simply decide to drive to.
This came into sharp focus recently, when I was describing my vision for my community gathering space to a business developer. After a few minutes of listening, they summarized: "So you want to create a place that makes people happy."
I paused. No, that's not quite it.
