My diary research led me to Marion Milner’s  A Life of One’s Own. In the past, I’ve used a diary as a means of letting out negative tension.  But not Marion.  She focused on writing when she was happy because “if one really knew when one was happy one would know the things that were necessary in one’s life. “

Beauty makes us happy and the greatest source of beauty is nature.

And if nature is not available, maybe a surrogate could do.  Like a papier-mâché cactus made from recycled materials.  I have such a plant in the hallway.  And when I walk past it, it reminds me to be happy.