Gettin' Back to Happy

...by Valerie L.S. Albarda

This blog, Bon Vivant, is all about food. It’s no secret that I love food. I simply adore everything about it. The culinary world holds for me a fascination unlike any other . . . well, almost any other. You see, there is something else in life for which I have a deep affinity. This intangible object of my adoration is the manifestation of life’s adventures, the outpouring of intrinsic thoughts, the stringing together of words on a page or screen; this is where my heart really lies.

It is called writing.

As this other great love of my life continues to blossom and grow with each passing day—never showing any signs of abating—I feel as if a prisoner, trapped by the beguiling lullaby of whispers as delicate as pure silk caressing my ebony skin. Yes, I am hooked and the love affair is real. So real that I find myself writing at all hours of the day and night, if for nothing other than to improve upon the craft with which I have been gifted.

Throughout life, my writings have led me on many paths, the latest of which is the culmination of a year-long personal journey to embrace the moments in my life‒big and small, one day at a time‒that encompassed happiness. Giving in to the good and the bad, the goofy and the sublime, the tranquility and the onerous soon gave way to rejoicing in being happy for the sake of being happy.

The book is titled “Gettin’ Back to Happy.”  From the press release:

In many ways, Albarda opens herself up, exposes her vulnerabilities and brings to light her human flaws in “Gettin’ Back to Happy.” However, she has found a way to balance her inner frustrations with her need to remain an optimistic force of nature. In the bad, she somehow saw the good. But all was not gloom and doom as she found pleasure in even the most seemingly mundane moments: “HAPPINESS IS . . . swearing my dog just smiled at me.” It was with thoughts in mind such as this that Albarda was propelled forward. With each passing day, happiness presented itself as an ever-changing chameleon, displaying a different façade that offered a new reason to embrace it. It came in as many forms to discover as there are to rejoice in being happy.

I invite you to take a brief detour to my website where you can sneak a peek into “Gettin’ Back to Happy.” There, you’ll find an excerpt from the book as well as a link to Amazon where you can purchase your very own copy. Or, if you like, you can go direct to Amazon.com to buy.