Cultivating Happiness

At first, I was VERY skeptical. How could a non-chocolate dessert ever measure up to my standards? Let's find out.

Here are the engagement cupcakes that helped me realize there is more than one way to be happy with desserts.

At first, I was VERY skeptical. How could baking a non-chocolate dessert ever measure up to my standards? ...The concept of happiness can change for me, and I am beginning to realize that I am alright with that idea.

It can be easy to just do one thing that you know is safe and comfortable. I, for example, tend to naturally just bake chocolate desserts, because I love baking and chocolate, so what could go wrong? And don’t get me wrong, baking everything with chocolate makes me happy and for a long time I was totally satisfied with doing it for the rest of my life. But when my sister and I were tasked with baking the dessert for thirty people at my cousin’s engagement party, we decided to go in another direction.

At first, I was VERY skeptical. How could baking a non-chocolate dessert ever measure up to my standards? It would frankly be weird making vanilla cupcakes with sprinkles, there was no way that could be good. But then we whipped out these delicious treats and they looked pretty spectacular. And when I took my first bite, I was legitimately disturbed by how amazing these cupcakes tasted.

For most of my life, I was totally comfortable living as I had been. But then I started trying different things and realized that I like exploring new opportunities. I enjoyed making a non-chocolate dessert, so maybe investigating other possibilities would make me happy.

A year ago, or even six months ago, I would never have felt ready to live in an apartment in Los Angeles but now I can barely stop myself from getting up and driving to LA to finish out the quarter closer to campus. The concept of happiness can change for me, and I am beginning to realize that I am alright with that idea. There are many amazing things in the world, but here’s a recipe of some of my favorite activities that make me happy:

Mason’s Recipe for Happiness:

You’ll need:

2 Cups of friends and family

A Dash of mountain biking

½ Cup of hiking

¼ Cup of leaving the house

1 Tablespoon of puzzles

⅔ Cup of learning

3 Cups of baking

Instructions:

1) First, start with spending time with other people, especially family and friends. After a year of living through quarantine without being able to see others frequently, I have really come to appreciate how much I enjoy other people’s company. I am really thankful for all of my family’s support, and value that I have had the opportunity to spend more time with my parents and brother than I would have if I was at UCLA for my first year. My family has been very motivating this past year, and they inspire me to explore my interests and discover what makes me happy.

Enjoying time with friends and family

2) Then, add in some mountain biking. This is a new hobby I picked up in the last two months. My dad has always been an avid cyclist, typically riding over 100 miles per week on the road. The sport had never seemed very interesting to me, but in March of 2021 we began going on short mountain bike rides in a regional park not too far from my house (if you’re ever in the Bay Area, I would definitely recommend checking it out), and I love being surrounded by nature. I appreciate that my stressors and worries take a back seat when I am out riding on a trail so I can be present with myself, which is vital for my happiness and wellbeing.

Pictures from hiking and biking!

3) Don’t forget to put hiking into the bowl. Similarly to biking, hiking is an excellent outlet for me to relax and enjoy nature. At the beginning of the pandemic, I started going on short walks daily, which evolved into longer and longer walks as I explored different parts of my neighborhood. For the past several months, I typically walk throughout the week and go on a 10+ mile hike at the end of the week. I really enjoy exploring new trails and getting to see nature that is inaccessible to me when I am looking at my computer all day. Just going outside and moving is very grounding and helps me maintain perspective of the important parts of my life that can easily be crowded by schoolwork.

4) Next, toss in some excursions. I know, a weird one, right? I never thought I’d say: “leaving my house brings me joy,” but here I am over a year into the pandemic, and I can’t wait for an opportunity to leave, even if it’s just for a trip to the bank or grocery store. I used to be satisfied with racing my family members to be the first person to get the mail every morning, but now that I am vaccinated the mail just isn’t enough excitement for the day… though I definitely should get a medal for Best at Getting the Mail in my family. I feel really restless just sitting at home all day, so driving a couple miles into my town to run an errand can really help relieve some frustration and I enjoy listening to the radio.

Here's a picture of the Orinda Theater, one of the most iconic in California. Reopening this week!

Not a traditional puzzle, but who doesn't love a postmodern graham cracker gingerbread house?

5) Mix in the puzzles. I LOVE puzzles. If you put a puzzle in front of me, I will sit down and work on it for hours until my neck hurts and I can barely move from inactivity. I feel very satisfied after working on a puzzle, and even more so when I can do it with a friend. I also enjoy doing logic games like sudoku and solitaire, in addition to just general problem solving and building. While math is not my favorite subject today, as a kid I loved being given math problems and trying to work out the solutions. I like doing these kinds of activities because they certainly require mental effort, but also offer relief from most of the critical thinking I do for my classes with the same level of satisfaction.

My current work-in-progress from Richmond's Rosie the Riveter Museum

6) Add some learning and frequently stir. One of the reasons I have been able to excel at UCLA thus far is my genuine love for learning. Being able to absorb new information is really empowering, especially when I can share my knowledge with other people and practice what I have learned in real life. I feel happy when I can help someone approach a subject from a different angle with a new viewpoint.

Triple-decker German chocolate cake? Yes please.

7) Add baking to the mix and you’ve made my day. Baking is another great way to distress throughout the week and is so fun with friends. I feel satisfied when I know that I have made others happy, and baking is an easy way to do this. Not only does it taste amazing, but the food I make is a great way to connect with others and show my appreciation for them in my life. Baking in general is a great skill to have, and I am very happy to have this activity in my life.

Finally, Enjoy!

Yours Truly,

Mason