I decided spontaneously over the weekend that I will go seven days without a single alcohol-containing drink. Started yesterday.
I want to test a few assumptions about happiness and prosecco.
I'm reading Creativity by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (the first ebook on my Kindle). Cskiszentmihaly talks not about creativity of the drunk, high and inspired musician stereotype, but instead of creativity through which a productive person brings a new idea into society in a way that changes culture.
He says so far (I'm just 6% through what in print is a 500 page text) that creative people tend to be optimistic.
What does that have to do with my prosecco? Well these people, he says, get real joy from their creative pursuits. And a friend said to me over the weekend, "I'll bet if people didn't drink at all, they would get up earlier, be more energetic, get more out of life."
I put two and two together into a hypothesis! Less alcohol = more energy for more creativity and more joy. (In fact, 2 + 2 + 1: My brother passed away one month ago today. He would like to be here getting more out of his life. In his honor, I'm going to see what I can learn in 7 days about finding joy in life.)
I already know that each of the next six days I will tell one person with whom I would normally happily share a prosecco that I will take "water or juice, please." They may wonder if I'm trying to beat an addiction, pregnant (at my age??) or simply depressed. None apply. I'm just trying something new and trying to notice the little things that come of that. Sure I'll have another prosecco in my life. Just later.
So now I'm off to Sechseleuten - the Spring Festival on a beautiful afternoon in Zurich. I've blogged the myriad otherwise normal, now costumed adults with horses and flower baskets before. Bet I'll notice even more this sunny afternoon that the city center has blossomed with stands serving beer and brats, too. :)
