I call it serendipity. And perfect timing. I was primed for a project that would draw on my life experience, professional and personal, and be of value to others.
Enter Dr. Gordon Livingston’s mighty little book, Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart. Maybe you’ve had a similar experience—you read just the right book at just the right time, the proverbial lightbulb goes on, and a bucket of clarity lands in your lap. On page 78, Dr. Livingston mentions one of my favorite Paul Simon songs, “Kodachrome,” and quotes that well-known first line: “When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school, it’s a wonder I can think at all.” Dr. Livingston is making a point about what he suggests is an educational problem: “In the midst of such marginally relevant courses as trigonometry, industrial arts, and the ever-popular ‘health,’ one searches in vain for a course in human personality and behavior that contains useful information on how to avoid catastrophic mistakes in one’s choice of friends and lovers.”
A few lines later, Dr. Livingston writes: “I could envision a curriculum constructed around the general topic ‘The pursuit of happiness.’” There it was. I got busy and created The Pursuit of Happiness: A Classroom Curriculum, using Dr. Livingston’s book as the framework and text for the course.
I wrote the course with high school seniors in mind, but the curriculum lends itself to many settings and situations: residential education programs in college dorms; all-boy/all-girl schools; counseling situations for individuals, small groups, or couples considering marriage; homeschooling; adult education; summer camps; book clubs; individuals who are looking for some guidance and structure beyond just reading Dr. Livingston’s book on their own. And just as the curriculum is not limited to high school students, the Teacher’s Guide is not just for teachers—anyone can use both the Teacher’s Guide and the Journey Workbook. On your own, the Journey Workbook might be all you want as a companion to Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart, and it was designed with this in mind, but the Teacher’s Guide will support a more comprehensive and thorough learning experience. For example, the Teacher’s Guide highlights key points and contains homework samples, quizzes and answer keys, the final exam, movie suggestions, and more.
Are you happy? Are you the person you want to be? Are you or someone you know struggling with a relationship? The Pursuit of Happiness curriculum is built on the premise that, with more awareness and understanding of personality and behavior, traits and patterns, we can be happier in general, and happier in our relationships in particular. Mistakes are inevitable, “perfection” is not the goal; it’s about doing a better job with our relationships. If the upshot is more happiness, then what are you waiting for?
Robin has been consciously pursuing happiness and practicing more intentional living for going on two decades now. Even though her formal classroom teaching days are behind her, Life is pretty much her favorite classroom. From empty-nest mom to community volunteer to mentor, yoga devotee to gravel biker, gardener to reader to budding blogger, she finds myriad opportunities to stay engaged, enjoy the beautiful Montana outdoors, spend time with family and friends, and just generally live to make each day count.
Robin is grateful to the many
special people who have supported and helped her along the way. She welcomes your feedback on The Pursuit of Happiness curriculum in particular, and pursuing happiness in general.