Lifestyle | Live Happy

Recording artist Jason Mraz performs in concert at NBC's 'Today Show'

Jason Mraz Says Yes

When Jason Mraz broke onto the national scene in 2002, he arrived without a disguise. Below the tilted trucker cap on top of his head and above the fuzzy bunny slippers on his feet was a confirmed optimist, upbeat and positive. Bouncing on his toes, he sang one of the earwormiest hits of the new century. “If you’ve gots the poison I’ve gots the remedy, the remedy is the experience,’’ he sang in “The Remedy (I Won’t Worry).” Maybe we weren’t sure exactly what that meant, but we didn’t press the pause button to ponder; instead, we threw back our heads and joined Jason as he pronounced his cheerful credo “I won’t worry my life away.’’ Only after a while did we absorb that the song had a darker edge, that it was written in response to the news that his best friend from high school had been diagnosed with a rare bone cancer. For just a moment in the song, Jason shakes his fist at the heavens (“Who says you deserve this? And what kind of god would serve this?’’) Older, but never jaded But the singer is not the type to invest much in pointless anger or self-pity. The answer to the bad deals in life is to change your point of view, he says. Or, again from “The Remedy”: “You can turn off the sun, but I’m still gonna shine.’’ Almost a decade and a half later, the artist, now 38, is older, more mature, wiser. He bounces less, the bunny slippers have been retired, the trucker cap has been mostly traded in for a hipster’s pork pie, but otherwise, the person is not fundamentally different. Jason is no longer a coffee house ingénue, but says he remains convinced that life is what you make it, and the capacity to make it great resides within each of us. “I try to be happy,’’ he says, “but even if I’m not, I choose to have an optimistic outlook on life.’’ This outlook, this choice, infuses every element of his life, from his music to his interests to his feelings of responsibility as a member of the human race. “The future depends on how I set it up in the present,’’ he says . “I try to live optimistically to live out the best life I can.” I try to be happy,’’ he says, “but even if I’m not, I choose to have an optimistic outlook on life.’’ Jason says he is a great believer in the power of “saying ‘yes,’ ” in treating life’s opportunities with enthusiasm. “Yes is the key that unlocks potential,” he says. “It really is the key to creativity, and that creativity doesn’t happen if you say ‘no.’ If you’re in a theater and you’re improvising with someone, and you say ‘no,’ that’s the end of the scene!” Saying ‘yes’ is a concept so significant for Jason that he made Yes! the title of his fifth and most recent album, on which he collaborated with the all-female band Raining Jane. “The way I see it,” he says, “If Raining Jane hadn’t said ‘yes’ when I asked them to collaborate, this album would not have happened. If the label hadn’t said ‘yes,’ this album would not have happened. I see yes as the key that unlocks opportunity.” Jason's positive message Jason’s optimism is the hallmark of his brand, one of the most consistent there is in popular music. Such contemporaries as John Mayer and Ed Sheeran mix songs about love’s ecstasies and miseries in equal measure. That’s not Jason’s bag. “My albums are themed to be upbeat and inspiring,’’ he says. “I want to uplift, inspire, and make people dance.’’ One only has to look at hits like “Love Someone,” “You and I Both,” and the irresistibly catchy ”I’m Yours” (“my happy little hippie song,’’ he calls it) to see that this is an artist whose message, music and audience are perfectly in sync. These chart-busting tunes result from a disciplined gleaning process; Jason once estimated that to get the dozen songs that appear on an album, he will write 80. “The ones that don’t make it are either too cheesy or superdark and depressing,’’ he has said, “and I don’t want to subject the audience to either one.’’ From time to time, something melancholy slips through, but even then, as in a song like “I Won’t Give Up,” he manages to turn a song about a relationship that isn’t working into a testament to everlasting romantic devotion. “I’m inclined to sing songs that I need, that light my spirit,’’ he says. “In turn, that gives fans what they want.’’ Now always on the sunny side For Jason, music ameliorates whatever pains and disappointments he may encounter. “I wake up grumpy,” he admits in a surprising confession. But “I write many songs to fill the love I may not have experienced when I was a kid or the love I’m not experiencing now.’’ Divorced from wife Sheridan in 2004, Jason split with fiancee Tristan Prettyman, a singer, in 2011. “This world may seem unfair at times,’’ he says, “but we have the ability to dream, and that helps.’’ Among other things that Jason finds helpful is yoga. Like most everyone, reading the newspaper can get him pretty bummed. “It’s hard to stay completely positive when there is suffering in the world that all humans have to endure,’’ he says. “But I use music and mantras to transform my thoughts from the negative to the positive. If the world seems like a terrible place, I can transform my feelings by thinking or saying, ‘I won’t give up,’ ‘I won’t worry my life away’ and ‘I won’t hesitate no more.’ That is, I believe, what makes me a positive person. Through meditation and yoga, I can move energy through my body and ease any relentless thoughts I have, allowing me to focus and concentrate my attention where I need it to be.’’ Increasingly, that attention is directed to the broader world, how he fits into it, and how he can change it. Getting down to earth There’s no telling how many farmers aspire to be international pop stars—more than a handful, we’re guessing—but Jason is that rare international pop star who wishes he could spend more time in the dirt. “I love spending time at my farm,’’ he says, “but it can be a problem because I’m out on the land sometimes until midnight.’’ Jason owns a 5.5-acre farm north of San Diego, where the self-described “organic gardening geek’’ raises chickens, keeps bees, and grows corn, peppers, leafy greens and most especially avocados. He is serious about his crops, not only because in one recent year he sold 34,000 pounds of avocados to local Chipotle stores—also because they provide a large percentage of his vegetarian diet. (He began changing his diet in 2006, when he opened for The Rolling Stones at a few concerts. Until then a smoker and confirmed junk food devotee, Jason saw how the aging rockers took care of themselves, and adopted their program.) The urban farmer Jason is enthusiastic about his agrarian accomplishments. Writing recently on his website, he encouraged his visitors to become urban farmers, if possible. “It’s about making the most out of a small piece of land,’’ he wrote, heaping praise onto the educational website UrbanFarm.org. “It’s about declaring your yard, your courtyard or windowsill an actual farm. And then working with the seasons, the sunlight, and local resources like discarded materials and water runoff to bring it to life as conveniently and cheaply as possible. It’s the foundation for the idea ‘Think globally, act locally.’ ’’ Is it any surprise that Jason sells packets of seeds at his concerts? A big part of his positive message is expressed through activism and philanthropy. Some of his efforts take the form of broad, dramatic gestures, like the concerts against human trafficking that he played in the Philippines and Myanmar. Other efforts are local and specific. “On my last tour, I chose to make the venues smaller and play more nights in each market. We set up community-based events and awarded grants in a lot of those markets. More broadly, we partner with several organizations and focus on equality, the environment, and healthy living and eating.’’ What's next “I’m just ready for a break,’’ he has said, noting that the long tours make performing “feel like a corporate job sometimes.’’ At the same time, it’s hard to see how an artist whose music invigorates the spirit not only of his audience but his own as well could leave that behind. But whatever path Jason chooses, it’s all but certain to lead to something interesting and uplifting. “I love to write music and be in the studio,’’ he says, “but there is creativity in everything we do, and it should be nurtured.’’ (From the October 2015 issue of Live Happy magazine.)

Tiffani Thiessen hosting a dinner party with her sister-in-law Jill Smith

Lifestyle

Always in Good Company

Imagine: the morning of a big family dinner with three generations of relatives, half of them from out of state, multiple dishes to cook and no working oven. What do you do? “Thank the sweet Lord that our neighbors were going out to eat! So I took the food next door to cook,” says actor Tiffani Thiessen, who starred in USA Network’s White Collar, for six seasons, as well as earlier series Saved by the Bell and Beverly Hills 90210. Tiffani, host of the Cooking Channel’s Dinner at Tiffani’s, laughs as she talks about the dinner party that almost didn’t happen. “I got extra cardio in that day, that’s for sure!” But sister-in-law Jill Smith points out that, “even if that meal hadn’t cooked, and we’d just had cheese and crackers, we still would’ve had a great time. With our families, it’s always about being together and enjoying each other.” Whenever possible, Tiffani and Jill like to co-host dinners together, including a recent outdoor party with family and friends to celebrate Tiffani’s new show. Jill, whose brother, actor Brady Smith, is Tiffani’s husband, says she often forgets her sister-in-law is a celebrity. “Something I like best about Tiffani is just her warm heart and her ability to make people feel comfortable and at home,” she says. Stirring Her Passions Tiffani says the great cooks in her family were her primary influences in the kitchen. But they taught her something else, too: “My mother, grandmother and aunt have always said a good hostess is not just someone who puts great food on the table, but someone who makes people feel comfortable.” Even while working, often commuting from coast to coast, and raising a daughter who is now 4½, Tiffani enjoyed having people to her home for dinner. Dinner at Tiffani’s (a play on the 1961 movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s starring Audrey Hepburn) became a joke among friends invited to the Thiessen-Smith home. The phrase stayed with Tiffani. “I thought, ‘That’s a great title.’ I was talking one day with my husband, and we thought this is probably a space we could kind of explore. That’s how we came up with the concept. Given that I’ve been in the business for so long—32 years going on 33—it’s amazing the slew of people I’ve gotten to work with and have been fortunate enough to stay friends with.” So, what if she invited these old friends to reconnect over Dinner at Tiffani’s? The Cooking Channel loved the idea and bought it. Perfection Is Overrated Tiffani emphasizes that she’s not a professionally trained chef. The menus and recipes she’s created for the show are not complicated—and that’s by design, to demonstrate how easy entertaining can be. “I want people to be able to do what I’m doing on TV.” It’s not about being perfect; it’s about creating and celebrating special moments with people we care about, she says. Jill says Tiffani’s easy-going personality contributes to the relaxed ambiance. “It’s just the ease of her personality. She’s just one of the most charming, down-to-earth people I’ve ever known. She’s not trying to put on a show and to be incredibly perfect. It’s not all about her, but about the entire event,” Jill says. “And she’s a hard worker, too. She’s the one who’s up in her pajamas making sure everything is ready for a party the next day.” The sisters-in-law have complementary skills and often co-host dinner parties for family and friends. They communicate about the overall look and feel they want and any special details, then focus on their specialties: Tiffani on the food and Jill, who is a graphic artist, on the décor. For their recent party, they started by creating a Pinterest board to collect and share ideas. Later, they would show the board to their floral designer and to a friend who would prepare the desserts. They wanted it to be festive and elegant, yet cozy and not fussy. “We didn’t want everything to be incredibly perfect,” Jill says. They chose a color scheme of classic black and white, and decided to host the party outside at a collection of tables—almost like a picnic. They used dining chairs from different sets, and combined contemporary black and white stemware with delicate crystal. Tiffani, in a black sequined cocktail dress, passed trays of hors d’oeuvres. For the menu, she chose fresh, seasonal ingredients to create dishes including roasted chicken with lemon and Picholine olives; roasted acorn squash with spicy maple glaze; and wheat berry salad with roasted carrots, feta cheese and mint. Connecting Through Food Tiffani acknowledges that dinner parties can be intimidating, but that shouldn’t be an excuse to not have them. “It’s stressful! I won’t tell you it’s not stressful,” she says. “But matching anything doesn’t matter. Sometimes the table looks better when nothing is matched. It doesn’t matter what your house looks like—if you have nice weather, do something like a picnic outside. It’s about what you’re putting on the table and about connecting with each other. You don’t have to have fancy dinnerware to show people you care.” Hosting a dinner party is a lot like acting, Tiffani says—hopefully, without the drama of an oven-less family dinner. “This is just pure passion for me. It’s an extension of my creativity. There’s an artistic side to it,” she says. The concept for the event, the look and feel, the menu and décor “go hand in hand,” she says. Each component contributes to the overall look and feel. Tiffani also puts thought into her guest list, making sure the “bigger personalities” don’t overwhelm the introverts. Tiffani says food is one of the few things that touches people’s emotions. “I think music is the only other thing that does that,” she says. “Food can make people feel happy, feel comfortable. And that’s something I really wanted to convey in the show. You know everybody is so busy on computers, tab-lets and phones, and we don’t make eye contact, and we’re losing a sense of connection. So I think it’s even more important for people to stop, sit down as friends, families and colleagues and share a meal. I hope that’s something that never changes.”

Lifestyle

You Can Lean on Amy Rutberg

Actress Amy Rutberg never forgets how she got her start in acting. At 9, her mother took her to an audition where she would meet the person who would change her life. The director of the play saw something in the extroverted Amy and helped cultivate the acting and life skills that she needed to live out her life’s passion. “I think about her often,” Amy says. “Her kindness in helping me really planted the seeds to the adult and actor I became.” Today, you’ll find Amy practicing her craft on hit television shows such as Marvel’s Daredevil and The Defenders, as well as NCIS: New Orleans. Because she credits her success from the kindness of others and she knows how tough show business can be, she says she never passes on an opportunity to help mentor a young person with advice and insight. “If you give someone the right advice at the right time, it can make a world of difference,” she says. Who taught you the most about happiness? The two most influential people in my life who have been my role models for happiness have been my mother and my husband. My mother’s happiness was so selfless. She made sure I was happy or my dad was happy. Seeing other people happy made her happy. While that is admirable, I wouldn’t say that it is necessarily applicable to my life. Maybe that’s just my generation, we need to find our happiness; we need to be fulfilled on our own. My husband really always has the best advice, whenever I am upset about something, he turns to me and says, “Amy, relax. Everything is as it should be.” There’s something about that, even when I want to resist it or think that it’s trite. He has a calming energy on me. How do you stay balanced? I’m also a mom. I have a 4-year-old. When I am not working, I try to spend as much time with her as possible. I’m no stranger to me time. I think my husband and I have kind of both made that a priority in our family. A mentally well-balanced person is the better family member and a better parent. What is the kindest act someone has ever done for you? My mother let me audition for this play and there was this director, her name was Anne Gesling. I was 9 years old and she put me in the show and gave me a role. She really took me under her wing and pushed me. She saw that I was a precocious kid and she saw that I had talent and this might be something I spend my life doing. She cultivated that, not by coddling me, but by empathetically pushing me. I came back to this woman time and time again for years throughout my childhood and she taught me the hard work and discipline of the business. She is still doing that for kids. How do you like to make others happy? I think that one of the most important things that you can do as a person for somebody else, is to listen to them. Everybody is going through something, whether it’s the little things like being upset about your kid’s soccer program. Maybe it’s something bigger. I think of my relationships with my husband, my family and my friends, and just being there, being present and just listening to someone is the greatest gift you can give them. What inspires you to be the best person you can be? I know this is a cliché, but it’s my kid. People always talk about the wonderful things and the negative things about being a parent, but I don’t think I appreciated the tremendous moral and ethical responsibility to being a role model for someone. I mean, I am her whole world, granted she is only 4. She learns from everything I do and say and that is a massive responsibility. I am very grateful that I get this opportunity and for all its difficulties, it is truly the most remarkable thing one can do in life. Everything that I do, I try to think how that plays in to how I want my daughter to become. What do you do to boost your mood? I always go back to Broadway musical because it reminds me of my childhood. When I am feeling down and I have a big decision to make, I put on the songs of my childhood, which are all Broadway musicals. I’ll put on Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar or something by Stephen Sondheim and that relaxes me. There is something comforting about those sounds and being a kid remembering what that was like. Where is your happy place? Any beach will do. I really am a beach person. My parents have a lake house in Lake Arrowhead, California, and going out there sitting in the boat on the lake is when I am most Zen and happy. Unfortunately, I only get there a couple times a year. My other place is Montauk, which is a beach community out here in New York that my family and I go to every year. We go to the same beach and playing with my kid on that beach is really when I feel the most present. I always leave that trip and say, “This is the most present I have been all year.” There is something amazing about building sandcastles to like really put you in the moment.

Lifestyle

9 Books for a Happy Home

What does it take to have a happy home? It’s the people who live there. You could have a $3 million estate or a tiny house, but the people inside will have the greatest contagious effect on the energy, mood and feeling of the place. We put together the nine best books to create a happy home. Happy Home: Everyday Magic for a Colorful Life by Charlotte Hedeman Gueniau What if you could give your home a happiness makeover? Happy Home: Everyday Magic for a Colorful Life will make your house come alive with color and playful accessories. Do-it-yourself projects and contemporary designs transform rooms with bright colors, cheerful patterns and interesting textures inspired by designer Charlotte Hedeman Gueniau and her home furnishings company Rice. Add some humor to your décor and deploy her ideas, including vibrant throws and cushions, storage ideas to hide clutter, hand-painted furniture and decorative motifs for walls and other surfaces. Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are So You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be by Rachel Hollis What if the stories you tell yourself are derailing your happiness? If you think other people have life all figured out and you are lagging behind, this book can snap you awake. Rachel Hollis, founder of the lifestyle website TheChicSite.com reveals 20 lies and misconceptions that can hold us back. With vulnerability, Rachel shares her personal story to show how happiness is a choice you can make each day—regardless of where you are on your journey. Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up by Marie Kondo You’ve likely read or heard of Marie Kondo from her international best-seller, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, that inspired millions of people to get organized and surround themselves only with items they truly love. In her latest book, Spark Joy, she illustrates her popular KonMarj method of organization. Use her advice to organize kitchen tools, cleaning supplies, hobby goods and digital photos. When’s the last time you asked yourself if your items are propelling you forward or holding you back? Experience the euphoria and mental freedom that comes from Marie’s magical decluttering advice. The Empowered Mama: How to Reclaim Your Time and Yourself While Raising a Happy, Healthy Family by Lisa Druxman “There isn’t enough time in the day.” If you’ve ever said this sentence (or felt it!) then this book is for you. The old adage that if mama isn’t happy no one is—is so true. Use the tools in The Empowered Mama to learn how to recharge your body and mind when the demands of motherhood, your professional life and your home life are taking all of your time. Maximize your time by focusing on what you have to accomplish most and use her many tips to get your life in order. Rediscover how to feel like an empowered mother for your own well-being. When moms are happy, the home will be full of happy energy, too. Homebody: A Guide to Creating Spaces You Never Want to Leave by Joanne Gaines Joanna Gaines, famous designer and co-star of HGTV’s Fixer Upper with her husband, Chip Gaines, shows you how to create a home that reflects your personality and becomes a place you never want to leave. In Homebody: A Guide to Creating Spaces You Never Want to Leave, learn how to know your design style by assessing your likes and dislikes and going with your instincts. Homebody is your go-to manual to create a beautiful home and spaces customized to your personal tastes. Her step-by-step guide will help you redo your house room by room. Happier Now: How to Stop Chasing Perfection and Embrace Everyday Moments (Even the Difficult Ones) by Nataly Kogan When you step inside your home, you know it holds memories both good and bad. What if you began looking at your life differently and looked at every moment of your life as truly living—even the painful moments? Author Nataly Kogan immigrated to the United States from Russia and has a unique perspective and draws from science, Eastern traditions and her experience as a refugee on how to be happier by boosting your resilience and building up your emotional immune system. Stop the “I’ll be happy when” and change your life to “I’m happy now because …” Embrace difficult times with more compassion and stability. Enjoy life inside your home no matter what is going on in your life at the moment. Getting Back to Happy: Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Reality, and Turn Your Trials into Triumphs by Marc Chernoff Use the power of your daily rituals, mindfulness practices, and self-care routines to overcome whatever life throws your way and be your best self. Personal development experts Marc and Angel Chernoff wrote the book they needed most. Elevate your sense of purpose at home and live with a greater sense of self-worth. For example, learn the art of mindful reframing to get in a better mental state. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, reframe how you view your life and begin to see your life as rich and interesting. You also will learn how to work on your relationship skills to foster mutual respect, genuine affection and lifelong trust. Simplify: 7 Guiding Principles to Help Anyone Declutter Their Home and Life by Joshua Becker What if you reduced the possessions you own to inspire living? Simplify is a celebration of minimalism. Find out how to live more by owning less from someone who made the leap. Author Joshua Becker and his family minimized possessions, decluttered their home and simplified their lives. His experience led to a profound sense of freedom and inspired him to share his story with others. “We were never meant to live life accumulating stuff. We were meant to live simply enjoying the experiences of life, the people of life and the journey of life—not the things of life,” he writes. Get It Together! An Interior Designer's Guide to Creating Your Best Life by Orlando Soria Designer Orlando Soria started out on HGTV and his popularity grew with his well-known design and lifestyle blog, Hommemaker. With his signature blunt and funny style, Get It Together! walks you through challenges such as how to plan a dinner party when you’re broke, how to hang art like you own a gallery, or prepare your home for an unwanted guest. Laugh out loud with his take on topics such as "How to Make Non-Garbagey Flower Arrangements.” He offers design tips for men, how to make your own coffee table and decorate a kid’s room. Solve home entertaining dilemmas, avoid newbie design mistakes and host guests like a pro. With humor, he shows anyone how to get it together on the home front.

Actor Jake Busey likes being a good neighbor.

Lifestyle

Jake Busey Lends a Helping Hand

Actor Jake Busey’s ambitious schedule includes roles in hit shows like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the upcoming third season of Stranger Things as well as films such as The Predator. Just glancing at his past and upcoming projects, you can tell Jake, son of actor Gary Busey, is dedicated to his work. Acting aside, he is passionate about life off-screen as well. While he does enjoy heart-pumping adventures such as desert truck racing and flying planes and helicopters as an instrument-rated private pilot, he also prefers the more grounded life of being a good family man and enjoying dinner at home. A regular Mr. Fixit, you may also find him helping out the neighborhood kids with their bikes. Who taught you the most about happiness and why? Happiness is a journey. You do not need to have a perfect life to have a happy life. What is the kindest act someone has ever done for you? My wife has breast cancer and her friends are bringing us homemade dinners every night. What is something in your life that you are passionate about? I am passionate about flying, playing music and desert racing. How do you make others close to you happy? I do my best to make sure my friends and family are happy and have what they need. I like to lend a hand when a neighbor can’t figure something out, whether its cable, construction or even fixing the neighborhood kids’ bikes. What do you do to pay it forward? I do whatever it takes. When is the last time you laughed out loud? I can’t remember. Possibly watching my daughter be silly. What is your “go to” book, movie or TV show that lifts your mood? Showtime’s Episodes. Where is your happy place? Being behind the wheel of my desert truck and going 80 miles per hour across the desert. Happiness is a journey. You do not need to have a perfect life to have a happy life."

Lifestyle

Exercises for Reluctant Creatives

Would you describe yourself as creative? How about artistic? If either feels like a stretch, it’s time to put away the labels and perfectionism and pick up a pen, says Keiko Agena, artist and actor known to many as Lane Kim on the long-running fan favorite TV show Gilmore Girls. “I think we’re all creative people,” Keiko says. In writing No Mistakes: A Perfect Workbook for Imperfect Artists, she aims to provide simple tools and a gentle guide for those who need to dial down the voice of their own internal critic to access it. “A lot of times creativity has a softer voice,” Keiko says. “But if we take the time to pay attention to it and listen to it and give it a chance to grow it could be a very wild, wacky strong, loud voice, which is what I’m hoping for.” No Mistakes Keiko’s “no mistakes” philosophy is inspired by her obsession with and love for improv, where anything can happen because nothing is planned, she says. The surprises are where the fun is. “When something goes wrong or somebody slips up, then everyone gets excited and focuses on that ‘mistake’ in order to make it—sometimes—the most enjoyable part of the show. “And so what I wanted to do was to find a way to look at what I perceive as imperfections in myself in a different kind of way, with that same kind of joy almost, of discovery, of where does this lead?” The book’s intro says, “Your ragged edges are what make you great. Stop smoothing them out. Your odd point of view, your imperfections…these are your treasures. The exercises are designed to help you do three things: Discover your voice. Accept your voice. Express your voice.” No Mistakes Exercises to Try Now: Choose Your Own Path So how do you apply “no mistakes” to your life? Put your creativity out into the world in a real way, Keiko advises. “What’s fun is to journal, to start putting it down on paper! Have it be in a physical form,” she says. “And let it exist for a little while and say well, that IS weird, what’s weird about it? But what’s interesting about it?…See where it leads because it’s probably going somewhere unexpected, and that’s where your creative voice is. The way you express your creativity is down that path and not someone else’s path.” Exercises reprinted fromNo Mistakes: A Perfect Workbook for Imperfect Artistsby arrangement with TarcherPerigee, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright © 2018,Keiko Agena. Go to livehappynow.com on September 25 for our podcast interview with Keiko.

Lifestyle

Finding the Kind Way

Kindness has always kind of been Rebekah Rinehart’s “thing,” but in 2016, she decided to expand her mission. In a world that seemed increasingly unkind, she wanted to challenge others to return to a kinder mindset and share its benefits widely. “I wanted to do something that would reach the masses and could really touch the hearts of a lot of people,” she says. “There were already T-shirts and bracelets and great things like that out to remind people to speak out about kindness, so I was looking for something different to do that would really stand out.” Then one day she woke up with the idea she knew was the answer she was looking for: “I decided to do a mural; I thought it would be a great way to be able to share it on social media. But then I realized I can’t paint.” Although she didn’t have the artistic skills, what she did have was a sorority sister who was not only a talented artist, but also “embodied everything about kindness.” Rebekah reached out to Sarah Gail Nelson, explained what she wanted to do and Sarah reluctantly signed on. “She was hesitant at first just because she’d never done a mural,” Rebekah says. “We had nothing to show people and had never done anything like this, but we knew we wanted to go big or go home.” Defining Kindness One of the biggest challenges Rebekah and Sarah faced was coming up with an image that illustrated what kindness is all about. They wanted it to be interactive and encourage others to share their thoughts on kindness, but couldn’t quite decide what images best would do that. After months of pushing ideas back and forth, they decided they would let people viewing the mural decide what kindness means. “Kindness is so many things; it can be funny, it can be serious, it can be joyful,” Rebekah says. “So finally we decided to let them fill in the blank.” They became an LLC, The Kind Way, and began painting their first kindness mural in October 2017 in Nashville’s historic Germantown neighborhood, a popular spot for locals and tourists alike. The mural features flowers surrounding the state of Tennessee with the words “Kindness is _____________” in the middle. Beside that super-size image, Rebekah and Sarah ask passers-by to take a photo and share through Instagram what kindness means to them. “We learned so much doing that first mural,” Rebekah says, recalling that they had “zero expectations” and didn’t know how people would respond to it. But even as they were painting it, people stopped to ask questions and, as soon as it was finished, they began receiving photos and responses from people who had taken their photos by the mural. From a Mural to a Movement After Nashville, they painted “The Kind Mural” in Chicago and then went to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for their third installment. Next, they’ll paint a mural in Dallas over Labor Day weekend and have other locations in their sights. So far they have either lived in or visited each of their locations. However, they’re also inviting anyone interested in bringing a mural to their city to contact them at thekindwayoflife@gmail.com. “The fact is, this is not only a mural, but a social movement to remind people of the importance of kindness,” Rebekah says. “We absolutely adore seeing all the tags on our social platforms from people across the globe. Their unique perspective of kindness reminds us how different and special kindness truly is.” In addition to the mural itself, each site contains a tribute to a person or organization that embodies the spirit of kindness. Rebekah says they’re doing that because they want to give back to each community, but don’t yet have finances to make a donation. Instead, they pay tribute to a person, place or organization that fits the kindness theme. “We hope that kindness becomes a pillar and a constant in our lives and the lives of others,” Rebekah says. “Oftentimes, kindness is perceived as elementary or weakness, but it should not and does not have to be that way. We all have a voice; let’s use it to make the world a better, kinder place.” Celebrate Be Kind to Humankind week August 25 to 31with the hashtags #thekindmural and #bk2hk. Next, Rebekah and Sarah are working on a children’s book that will further spread the kindness message, and their website, thekindwayoflife.com, will go live at the end of September. Rebekah says that the message of kindness is timeless, but right now it’s also very timely. “Kindness can and will make all the difference in our lives, but you have to decide how and when that happens,” she says. “Kindness brings joy. It challenges our hearts to be better to one another and, ultimately, to ourselves. It is a way of life.” Explore The Kind Way’s journey on Instagram at @thekindway and #thekindmural. And watch the first mural come together in this fun video.

Lifestyle

10 Best Books for Good Mood Food

Folate in spinach can boost those mood-controlling neurotransmitters in your brain. Yet if Popeye’s fix doesn’t appeal to you, try eating an orange or grapefruit to get the same mood-regulating vitamin B benefits. For a moment of calm, eat a banana for its potassium and serotonin. Grumpy? Shift that mood with some berries. Eating the rainbow is sage advice for a happier you, and no, we don’t mean that bowl of sugary Froot Loops. Healthy, colorful fruits and veggies can make for a healthier brain and a happier you. We rounded up 10 books to help you rock your good mood—with food. Flat Belly 365: The Gut-Friendly Superfood Plan to Shed Pounds, Fight Inflammation, and Feel Great All Year Long by Manuel Villacorta If you’ve ever consumed too many doughnuts in one sitting, you know sugar can make you feel sluggish and tired. Superfoods do the opposite, helping you feel super! Flat Belly 365 offers enticing recipes even if your goal isn’t to have washboard abs. National dietitian Manuel Villacorta shares recipes made with superfoods, anti-inflammatory fats, and prebiotic and probiotic foods to balance your appetite, reduce cravings, regulate blood sugar, fight inflammation and fuel your body for optimal health. Each chapter is organized by the seasons of the year, making shopping and meal planning easy. Seven-day menu plans are included. Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating by Walter Willett, MD and P.J. Skerrett If you want to eat healthy but your head spins from all the food trends, conflicting information and celebrity diets, Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy cuts through all the noise. Walter Willett, MD, chair of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, draws on cutting-edge research to explain what the USDA guidelines have gotten wrong—and how you can eat right. Learn simple principles and meal plans to live better and longer. Discover the research behind the best types of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, and the importance of supplements. After not smoking, controlling your weight is the single most important factor for a long, healthy life, the authors contend. The Simple Guide to Natural Health: From Apple Cider Vinegar Tonics to Coconut Oil Body Balm, 150+ Home Remedies for Health and Healing by Melanie St. Ours Use medicinal plants, healing foods and everyday ingredients like coconut oil and apple cider vinegar to help you heal from ailments and thrive. Clinical herbalist Melanie St. Ours offers recipes that promote emotional balance and health. Try her mood-lifting trail mix, happiness syrup or pick-me-up peppermint latte. Make a cup of lavender or chamomile tea to relieve anxiety or depression. The food in your pantry and fridge can support your health and improve your outlook. Rise and Shine: Better Breakfasts for Busy Mornings by Katie Sullivan Morford How you start your day matters. You already know breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but what if you could make breakfast so appealing it brings your family together around the table each day? Nutritionist and mother of three Katie Sullivan Morford offers tips, recipes and inspiration for making delicious and nutritious breakfasts.Rise and Shineis for parents who don’t want to sacrifice quality time and quality meals on busy mornings. The Happiness Diet: A Nutritional Prescription for a Sharp Brain, Balanced Mood, and Lean, Energized Body by Drew Ramsey, MD and Tyler G. Graham What if the foods responsible for the obesity epidemic are also causing increased levels of depression and anxiety? That’s the premise behind The Happiness Diet. If you want simple solutions to make and eat feel-good foods for your brain and your body, this is the book for you. Learn how to move away from the modern American diet (which the authors call MAD) and get nutrition back in your meals. The Mood Cure: The 4-Step Program to Take Charge of Your Emotions—Today by Julia Ross Julia Ross’s plan provides a natural cure for your mood based on deficiencies in our neurotransmitters. She believes we can use food to overcome depression, anxiety, irritability, stress and other negative emotional states that take a toll on the quality of our lives. Julia’s plan is based on the use of four mood-building amino acids and nutritional supplements. Enjoy meals that include protein, healthy fat and certain key vegetables. Take her mood-type questionnaire to start feeling better and brighter. Brain Food: The Surprising Science of Eating for Cognitive Power by Lisa Mosconi, Ph.D. Lisa Mosconi is a neuroscientist and a certified integrative nutritionist who focuses on the dietary needs of the brain. Lisa provides recommendations for a complete food plan while calling out some popular notions, including: why a paleo diet may not be ideal, why avoiding gluten may be a mistake, and how getting enough water improves alertness.Review lists of what to eat and what to avoid and take a quiz that will tell you where you are on the brain health spectrum. Use your food choices to improve memory, prevent cognitive decline, eliminate brain fog, lift depression or improve mental alertness. At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen: Celebrating the Art of Eating Well by Amy Chaplin and Johnny Miller When your food, kitchen and meals are bright, you will be, too. Delight in the joy of food again in this colorful book full of recipes, menus and whole food tips. “Cook simple meals with organic ingredients. Find a daily practice that helps keep you connected, inspired and grounded. Practice gratitude and do what you love,” writes chef, food stylist and lover of food, Amy Chaplin. Vegans, vegetarians and carnivores will all find recipes to add to their collection and ideas to inspire a beautiful kitchen. The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig The popular The Whole30offers a 30-day meal plan designed to reset your health, habits and relationship with food so you can overcome cravings and addictions. The science behindWhole30is covered in the authors’ first book,It Starts With Food.The plan focuses on the quality of real food and omits processed foods and sugar as well as grains and legumes. You will have to say goodbye to cheese and even hummus (made from legumes), but you can keep your morning coffee if you drink it black or with almond milk. Eat foods for a healthy psychological response, transform your relationship with food, quash cravings and boost your immune system. Keto Comfort Foods: Family Favorite Recipes Made Low-Carb and Healthy by Maria Emmerich Comfort foods…just hearing those two words can make you feel good. We all crave them and they are designed to give us a big helping of comfort and foster well-being. The problem is, most comfort foods aren’t really good for your body—until now. In Keto Comfort Foods, enjoy a healthy spin on some of your favorite comfort foods with a variety of recipes presented with beautiful photography. Each recipe contains nutritional information and rated low, medium or high ketogenic (putting the body into a state of ketosis to burn stored fat). Whip up some beef stew, BBQ chicken lasagna, clam chowder, maple bacon ice cream or Sunday pot roast.

Lifestyle

The Empowered Britney Young

It’s hard not to notice Britney Young’s glowing positivity on screen in Netflix’s breakout comedy series GLOW. Playing the role of Carmen “Machu Picchu” Wade, Britney demonstrates her character’s power and strength when faced with adversity as well as her kindness and compassion for friends in need. GLOW, which stands for Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, is loosely based off the real ’80s wrestling program of the same name. The show is a behind-the-scenes portrayal of how the struggling organization scratched, clawed and body slammed its way into mainstream popular culture. Britney, who does all of her own stunts, hopes that when people watch GLOW, they will find that the story is really about confidence, inspiration and acceptance. What is the most important message that you hope people learn from your performance on GLOW? I hope that people take away a sense of empowerment. I know that GLOW has helped me to realize there are things that I am able to do that I didn’t even know were possible. I hope audiences are inspired to break down their own barriers and go after things they have always been dreaming of, or have been afraid of attempting. Because once those boundaries are broken, anything is possible. Who taught you the most about happiness and why? I feel like everyone in my life has taught me about being happy, in one way or another. But honestly, I think learning to be happy is something you have to figure out for yourself. It takes getting to know yourself, your likes and your dislikes, to really understand what makes you happy. I can confidentially say that I am a happy person, but I am still learning about who I am. So, I know that as I get on in years I will find new things that make me happy. Happiness is an ever-changing state, and I am excited to experience it all. I actually have a personal motto to laugh once a day, dance once a day, sing once a day." What is the kindest act someone has ever done for you? That’s a tough one. I think one that comes to mind is actually the most recent act of kindness I experienced. My 30th birthday was earlier this summer, and my sister and I went for a hike. When we got home there were balloons tied to my front door and my mailbox was overflowing with birthday cards. I had gotten 17 cards, a card from each one of the GLOW girls and Marc (Maron). It was so heartwarming, I immediately started crying and was very touched. And I was extremely surprised because I am usually the organizer of our group birthdays, so they totally pulled a fast one on me. What are you passionate about? I am passionate about a wide range of things. I am passionate about film and television; I am a huge bookworm; I love traveling and learning the histories of new places and cultures. I love music and dancing. As I get older, I am finding that I am becoming very passionate about my close relationships with others. I am still finding out new things about my parents and siblings, as they are all very fascinating, amazing people. How do you make others close to you happy? I like to believe that I make people close to me happy by being kind and supportive. I am always there to lend a helping hand or listen when someone needs to chat it out. I truly believe in treating others as you want to be treated. So, I always like to have a positive relationship with others that’s built on honesty and respect. What do you do to pay it forward? I am a very verbally communicative person, so I feel that I pay it forward by letting people know how much I appreciate them and by thanking them for the things they do. When is the last time you laughed out loud? When am I not laughing out loud? I love to laugh. I actually have a personal motto to laugh once a day, dance once a day, sing once a day. It’s just something I do that helps to keep me in a happy and positive mood. Where is your happy place? DISNEYLAND! I know, cliché, it’s known as the happiest place on Earth. But I am a huge Disney fan and have been since I was really little. The park is a very nostalgic place to me, where I can really just let loose, laugh and have fun. I know I probably had breakdowns at the park when I was a kid coming down from a sugar high, but all the times I have gone as an adult I have always had a huge smile on my face the entire time.

Kirobo Mini can fit in the palm of your hand.

Lifestyle

Driving Happiness

While Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT) may have been ahead of its time, car companies are turning to neuroscience and artificial intelligence technology to boost your positive emotions behind the wheel and beyond. Recently, Toyota Motor Corporation unveiled a palm-size companion robot to keep you company on and off the road. The Kirobo Mini, which is now available in Japan, is designed to read human emotions—like delight, pleasure, surprise or anger—from our facial expressions. Kirobo Mini will ask if you are sad or comment that you look happy today. If we drive too fast, it may tell us to slow down. Kirobo, which is the Japanese word for hope, eventually adapts to your personality and remembers conversations. According to Toyota, more than 5,000 Kirobo Minis have been sold, and the reception to these cuddly bots has been positive. Some have even accepted Kirobo Mini as part of the family. “We did receive some feedback that Kirobo Mini encouraged and increased conversation between couples who gradually had less conversation after their children had grown up and left home,” according to a spokesperson with Toyota. Researchers at Ford are also trying to enhance the driving experience by tapping in to our emotions. In a recent study, Ford teamed up with neuroscience and bio-emotion research company Sensum to see how driving compared to other peak excitement activities. Researchers found that participants driving in a Ford Focus RS loaded with artificial Intelligence emotion reading technology had 2.1 buzz moments during a typical commute. Only a ride on a roller coaster gave more moments of intense excitement. The 2018 Ford Mustang V8 GT. Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Company. Emma Bergg of Ford Public Affairs says the driver-state research at the Ford Research and Innovation Center in Aachen, Germany, is paving the way for smarter and safer cars. Working with EU-funded projects to bridge the gap between human interaction and autonomous driving, researchers at Ford hope to build in-car systems designed to detect our emotions, notice when our stress levels are too high or when we are too tired to drive. Our cars may even take control and save us from dangerous situations. Michael Knight would be proud. Ford’s “Buzz”-worthy Moments Number of times people hit peak levels of excitement: 3.0 On a roller coaster 2.1 Driving a performance car on a typical commute 1.7 On a shopping trip 1.5 Watching Game of Thrones or sports on TV 0 Salsa dancing, fine dining or a passionate kiss

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