GaryOsberg.com

Good afternoon from Collegeville,

Today is a “10” on the beautiful weather scale. Yesterday I wore a sweater. Tomorrow is supposed to be even nicer. I am enjoying the summer but it is going by too fast. Happiness is sitting by the water fountain in front of Sexton Commons on campus of St. John’s University and soaking in the mid-day sun. I have attached a picture of our campus mascot.

In the February 27, 2006 issue of The New Yorker, there was an article on pursuing happiness. I try to read it once every month. It turns out that by nature we have been hardwired to emphasize the negative. Survival depended on being wary. “Call no man happy until he is dead” was the Greek way of putting it. According to positive psychologists, once we are out of poverty, the most important determinant of our happiness is our “set point”, a natural level of happiness that is largely inherited.

Ready for the secret of happiness? Here it is: Happiness is equal to our set point S, plus our life conditions C plus a bit of volunteer work, V “H=S+C+V”

If your set point for happiness is low, you may need to do more volunteer work. If you want a copy of the article on happiness, let me know.

The show this week is a rebroadcast of a show from the Brown Theater at the Wortham Theater Center in Houston, Texas originally broadcast in November of 2010. Special guests include The Quebe Sisters and their band showcasing some true Texas swing on Bob Will’s “Yearning” and mezzo-soprano Susan Graham sings “Ombra mai fu” from Handel’s Serse. Dusty and Lefty take an exam to renew their cowboy licenses along with a visit to the Café Boeuf Houston. In the News From Lake Wobegon, Myrtle Anderson tries to return to town 33 years after an embezzlement scandal. Enjoy the show and enjoy the weekend.

“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” Marcel Proust