What Made Me Happy in 2025 | Week 1
A walk in the snow, moving my body, a documentary, Loco Motive - and my word for the year
On paper I’ve been doing it for quite some years now: I dedicate one page in my book calendar each month to jotting down what was good, what made me happy, what was special, as the month progresses. I named it very casually “Good stuff in [insert respective month here]”, but I thought for Substack I might try something a little more respectable. (But it’s actually still The Good Stuff.)
For me, it has become extra important to focus on the positive. Life is hard enough as it is, especially when you struggle with mental health issues - or just turn on the news.
I enjoy it deeply to give attention to the good things I encounter throughout the day. They can come in all forms and be of all sorts, big or small. They can be inspiring or beautiful, laughing-out-loud funny or just silently stunning, kind, warm or moving, they can be comfort or provide new insights. They are seldom life-changing, but to focus on them day by day can become life-changing. They enrich my life and make myself deeply happy!
Here’s what made me happy this past week:
Walking in the snow
I couldn’t believe my luck, but it actually starting snowing at the beginning of January. It finally looked like winter for some days, and I celebrated it with a two-hour walk in a heavy snow flurry and strong wind. It was really fun and just perfect!
Moving my body
When I was young, I was very sporty. I’ve been doing gymnastics since I was four. I did ballet for 7 or 8 years. I tried tennis, badminton and volleyball. I loved basketball, my absolute favourite as a teenager. I learned aikido. We had a table tennis table in the basement at home and I loved playing for hours. Just for fun, mind you, and not in a sports club with tournaments and stuff. I never liked those. I was the fastest sprinter in my grade, was quite a good long jumper and a pretty decent shot-putter (but rubbish at throwing and hopeless at long-distance running, I never made it to the finish line).
Exercise or sports in any form (except walking) fell by the wayside in my adult years - just like my connection to nature.
I’d love to change that as well.
Slowly and gently.
That’s where stretching, Pilates & Co. came in.
Yeah, I know, I’m late to the party again, but I tried YouTube for this and finally found some channels I’ve clicked with, so I started moving my body (let’s not call it exercising - yet) in the mornings regularly since mid December, between 30 and 50 minutes (almost) daily, and I was suprised how good I’ve felt. When I tried working out, yoga, stretching etc. in the past, I had pain in my whole body for days! Sure, mostly due to lack of training and overall fitness, but I didn’t feel good at all and gave up quite quickly. Now it’s entirely different and I feel good about just doing it. Who would have thought!
Loco Motive
My husband is a game developer. He and his team develop new games for classic computers and consoles. So I’m used to pixel graphics - for 30 years.
Myself, I’m not really into computer games, but one genre we both enjoy immensely is point & click adventures - also for 30 years and counting.
Since the turn of the year, we’ve been playing Loco Motive, a comedic adventure set on a train where we have to unravel a deadly mystery putting our point and click puzzle-solving skills to the test.
Well, we have so much fun with this marvellous, funny, very British pixel graphics adventure and a train-full of quirky and somewhat suspicious fellow passengers. We especially love the beautifully detailed pixel art animations, the great dialogue and the outstanding voice acting. We don’t mind the least that the puzzles aren’t that difficult, because everything else is absolutely outstanding. Just wow!
Documentary
If you’ve read last month’s book reviews, you know about my fascination of Greenland. It didn’t stop with the turn of the year. I watched another documentary I was really moved and impressed by. (Sorry, it’s German language only.)
Word for the year
You may have guessed, I don’t make resolutions for the new year, because I don’t like that kind of pressure. But I have chosen a word for the year to focus on (or it chose me - like the wand chooses the wizard, if you know what I mean).
Joy will be my main focus in 2025 - and I thought, it’s a good start to share what made me smile in week 1 of a brand-new year.
Have a happy, healthy, wonderful new year everyone! Here's to a calm, yet exciting, just lovely new year full of beautiful small moments, kindness and possibilities, curiosity and creativity, new books and new friends, staying true to yourself and finding a life worth living. ✨️❤️
What made you happy this week?
Loco Motive sounds adorable. And good for you for starting the year with movement. I once read 'movement is medicine' and I never forgot it. We got a mini-trampoline (we had one before, but then we moved and had to give it away, you get the idea) and I'm excited to get back into better shape! Joy was one of my words last year and it served me well -- may it serve you beautifully in 2025!
I love how you focus on the good stuff, Claudia! It’s such a great way to shift our mindset and nurture mental health. I’ve been getting back into morning movement too, slowly and gently. My word for the year is intention—it’s all about aligning my actions with what truly matters and staying mindful in the process. Wishing you a beautiful 2025 filled with those little moments of joy. Can’t wait to hear more!