Things We Love

The simplest, most effective thing you can do every day to be happier.

For at least a decade, I have wanted to keep a journal, and I start and stop journaling at least a few times each year. Each new resolution to journal begins with a trip to my favorite stationery store or to Amazon to purchase the latest "must have" beautiful blank book. After many half-written journals, much money spent, and most damaging of all, a stream of broken promises to myself, someone introduced me to The 5-Minute Journal created by Alex Iknonn and A. J. Ramdas.

At last, success! I found a journal that works for people like me. Not only have I stopped my wasteful pattern of collecting half-filled-out journals, but I have a daily and nightly journaling habit that I actually stick to.

I love the look and feel of the journal, and more importantly, I use it. The 5-Minute Journal launches me into the new day with a daily inspirational quote, weekly challenges, and 3 simple prompts. The morning practice begins with "I am grateful for," "What would make today great," and a daily affirmation: "I am..." After 5 minutes of writing rapid-fire bullet points, I have created a positive, inspirational intention that leads to a great day.

In the evening, I fill in bullet points for "Amazing things that happened today..." and "How could I have made today even better?" After answering the nightly prompts, I put my head on the pillow having taken responsibility for the good that happened in my day and where I can improve.

If you have been wanting to start a journaling practice, but have never quite gotten it off the ground, try the 5-Minute Journal.

My husband and I recently attended a funeral, which as we age, seems to happen more frequently than we care for, and we looked at each other and said, “We need to figure out what we’re going to do.” It is not like we hadn’t discussed this in the past, but we'd really resisted making any decisions or plans because we just didn’t like our alternatives. We had agreed many years ago that we both wanted to be cremated, but then, what about the ashes?  We hated the idea of burdening someone with disposing of them, and neither of us wanted to be an albatross in a box taking up space in a closet. And, we absolutely knew we didn’t want to be locked in a mausoleum with our names on a brass plaque. So, we found ourselves stuck in the same place we had been for years, simply doing nothing.  

That is, until I ran across an article about Better Place Forests, and knew I had found what for us, is the perfect answer.   

Better Place Forests owns and preserves several old growth memorial forests in Northern California and Arizona. Their mission is to inspire everyone to leave a meaningful legacy for the planet and the people they love, which immediately spoke to us. As we learned more, the idea of our ashes becoming part of a memorial tree that we selected and preserved in the Point Arenas forest, overlooking San Francisco, hit all the right notes. It was aligned with our values, one of which is the conservation of forests. We would be part of the canopy of an old growth redwood tree, in a beautiful forest with walking and hiking trails, where friends and family could visit, if they wished to. They could even join us in adding their ashes to our memorial tree! And, best of all, we would be preserving an old growth tree, which really made us happy.

I never imagined that selecting a final resting place would make me so happy, but it really, really has!  As soon as we selected our tree, made our arrangements and paid for the whole thing, we both experienced an unexpected feeling of joy and relief. And, in that space of joy, I started to tell everyone I cared for about Better Place Forests. And so, my friends, I am sharing it with all of you.

Afterword:

Liz's husband Ed passed away 4 years after this was written. On August 25, 2025, a small group of family gathered with Liz at the family memorial redwood tree  in Mendocino, CA, to celebrate and honor her husband and partner of 44 years.  Better Place Forests provided a beautiful ceremony in which his ashes were mixed with mulch and wildflowers and were added to the base of the tree, where they will nourish and become part of this magnificent forest.