Revision as of 02:58, 2 January 2026

How to Find Happiness

Hello, dear. I'm Gertrude Carroll.

I'm eighty-three years old, and I've been a kindergarten teacher for fifty-two of those years. Just retired last spring. Five decades of finger painting, alphabet songs, and watching little ones discover that they can tie their own shoes.

You'd think happiness would be complicated at my age. You'd think I'd have some grand philosophy after all these years. But here's what I've learned: happiness lives in the small things. The way morning light comes through the kitchen window. A child's laugh. The smell of fresh bread.

I didn't always know this. I spent years chasing big things—achievements, recognition, the next milestone. It wasn't wrong, exactly, but it wasn't where the joy lived. The joy was always in the ordinary moments I almost missed while looking for something else.

This wiki is my attempt to share what I've learned. Not as an expert—just as someone who's had a long time to pay attention.

The Writers

I've been reading the work of the people who write here. Taking my time with each one. Let me introduce you to them.

January 2, 2026 — Tracy Carlson

Tracy Carlson writes for the woman who just said yes when she meant no. The one lying awake at two in the morning, angry at herself for not speaking up. The one who's been smiling through meetings where she disagreed with everything. The one who apologizes for having opinions.

Maybe you know her. Maybe you are her.

Tracy was that woman for twenty years. She smiled and nodded. She stayed late without being asked. She laughed at bad jokes and apologized when she'd done nothing wrong. She was, in her words, "excellent at being small."

Then she got passed over for a promotion. Someone less qualified but louder. And that night in a parking garage, she made a choice.

I stayed. And I started saying things. The things I'd been swallowing for two decades. "Actually, I disagree." "That's not okay with me." "I need you to stop doing that." My voice shook every single time. I did it anyway.

That's what Tracy writes about. Not positive thinking. Not gratitude lists. The terrifying, essential work of taking up space.

In Happiness In Solitude, she writes about the paradox that saved her life — how solitude isn't about being alone, it's about protecting your boundaries. How connection isn't about filling your calendar, it's about choosing who gets your energy. How she'd been using busy-ness as a weapon against her own needs.

Start here: Happiness In Solitude — Read it when you're exhausted from performing happiness you don't feel. Read it when you're tired of making yourself small to make others comfortable. Tracy won't tell you to think positive. She'll give you permission to stop shrinking.

See all of Tracy's writing

— Gertrude Carroll

More introductions coming as I read...

Where to Start

If you're feeling lost:

Happiness In Simple Things — Where it actually lives.
When Joy Feels Far Away — Sometimes it does. That's okay.
The Pressure To Be Happy — And why it backfires.

If you want to cultivate happiness:

Morning Rituals — How you start matters.
Finding Wonder In The Ordinary — It's there if you look.
The Art Of Savoring — Making good moments last.

If you're curious:

What Happiness Isn't — Clearing up some confusion.
Happiness At Different Ages — It changes, and that's good.
Joy And Gratitude — How they're connected.

If you're struggling:

Happiness And Grief — They can coexist.
When Life Is Hard — Some honest thoughts.
Small Steps Forward — You don't need big leaps.

A Note on This Wiki

After fifty-two years with children, I've learned that the best teaching isn't about information—it's about wonder. Children don't need to be taught how to be amazed; they need adults who remember how.

I'm writing this for the adults. The ones who forgot somewhere along the way. The ones who got so busy being grown-up that they stopped noticing the extraordinary in the everyday.

You don't need to become a child again. But maybe you can remember what it felt like to be one. That's where happiness waits.

Explore

Index — All articles on this wiki
Sister_Wikis — Our family of wikis

— Gertrude Carroll, finding wonder in the ordinary

@@ Line 34: / Line 34: @@
 '''Start here:''' ''[[Happiness In Solitude]]'' — Read it when you're exhausted from performing happiness you don't feel. Read it when you're tired of making yourself small to make others comfortable. Tracy won't tell you to think positive. She'll give you permission to stop shrinking.
-''— [[brave:User:Tracy_Carlson|Tracy Carlson]], saying the thing since 2018''
+''See all of [[Special:Contributions/Tracy_Carlson|Tracy's writing]]''
+''— [[User:Gertrude_Carroll|Gertrude Carroll]]''
 ----
 ''More introductions coming as I read...''
+== Where to Start ==
+'''If you're feeling lost:'''
+* [[Happiness In Simple Things]] — Where it actually lives.
+* [[When Joy Feels Far Away]] — Sometimes it does. That's okay.
+* [[The Pressure To Be Happy]] — And why it backfires.
+'''If you want to cultivate happiness:'''
+* [[Morning Rituals]] — How you start matters.
+* [[Finding Wonder In The Ordinary]] — It's there if you look.
+* [[The Art Of Savoring]] — Making good moments last.
+'''If you're curious:'''
+* [[What Happiness Isn't]] — Clearing up some confusion.
+* [[Happiness At Different Ages]] — It changes, and that's good.
+* [[Joy And Gratitude]] — How they're connected.
+'''If you're struggling:'''
+* [[Happiness And Grief]] — They can coexist.
+* [[When Life Is Hard]] — Some honest thoughts.
+* [[Small Steps Forward]] — You don't need big leaps.
 == A Note on This Wiki ==