A Little Happier: A True Story of Redeeming a Loss Through Sacrifice | Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Did you know that infants are ready to learn sign language?

Two-year-olds are ready to learn the basics of science and three-year-olds are ready to learn coding.

Your child is ready to learn and at Primrose Schools, teachers make the most of this time by creating a joyful, purposeful learning experience unlike any other.

For instance, have you heard of the Primrose Friends?

In every Primrose school classroom, teachers use these 12 lovable puppets to make character development joyful, meaningful and memorable.

From exploring generosity with Benjamin the Bear to practicing honesty with Peanut the Pony, every friend plays a special part in helping children learn important values while having plenty of fun along the way.

We could all use some friends like that.

You can learn more at primroseschools.com.

Now enrolling infants through children age five.

That's primroseschools.com for more information.

Elizabeth, you know that this year I am hosting Thanksgiving for the second time.

Huge bucket list for me.

And one of the things that makes it easier to prepare for any kind of big gathering whether it's Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving or any kind of celebration is knowing that you can go to one place that you know you're going to get high standards and good prices, and this is why I love going to Whole Foods Market.

I can look for the 365 brand and I know that I'm gonna get everything that I need and want for a good price, with the quality that I can count on.

Yeah, they have everything from low-price, quality turkey to pantry essentials and Gretchen.

I have to add frozen appetizers, which are perfect for someone like me who is not a great cook.

I love to get the quiche trio, their butterfly shrimp and breaded calamari.

It's all so easy to prepare and so delicious.

Enjoy so many ways to save on your Thanksgiving spread at Whole Foods Market.

I'm Gretchen Rubin, and this is A Little Happier.

I recently heard a true story about determination, self-sacrifice and fortitude.

That filled me with transcendent awe, which is certainly one of the most beautiful emotions to experience.

Here is my version of this story, the story of Dathrash Manji.

This story began one day in 1959 in a remote village in the eastern state of Bihar in India.

A woman named Falguni Devi was making her way along a treacherous mountain path when she fell and suffered severe injuries.

Medical help was less than a mile away, but because of the mountain, it could be reached only by taking an indirect route of about 40 miles.

And because of the delay, she died.

Her husband was Dothrash Manshi, a man who worked as a laborer.

He believed that his wife's death could have been prevented if she'd reached medical attention in time, and in his grief he became determined to carve a path through the ridge of hills to make their village more accessible.

The only tools he had were his hammer and chisel and, working alone, he started chipping away at the mountain that blocked their way.

His efforts began one morning in 1960, and in 1982...

After 22 years of solitary labor, Dathrash Manji had carved a passage approximately 360 feet long, 30 feet wide and 25 feet deep through the ridge of rocks.

The journey, which once required a detour of more than 40 miles, was shortened dramatically to just nine miles.

Now villagers had access to hospitals, schools, and markets.

When he began, he was mocked for these efforts, but later, Manji said, Though most villagers taunted me at first, there were quite a few who lent me support later by giving me food and helping me buy my tools.

For his accomplishment, Manji became known as the Mountain Man, and India Post dedicated a stamp to him in 2016.

He did this back-breaking work for more than two decades to spare others the suffering that his family had experienced.

In his unforgettable, riveting memoir, Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl observed, "...in some way, suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning, such as the meaning of a sacrifice."

Out of his grief.

Through the sacrifice of his long labors, Dashrath Manji was able to transform his pain into action, to transform the lives of his community for generations.

I'm Gretchen Rubin, and I hope this makes your week a little happier.

Hi, Gretchen, Craig Robinson, and my little sister Michelle here.

We host a new podcast called IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson.

We know you're the queen of giving advice, so we wanted to get a few tips from you.

You know, Gretchen, a lot of our listeners are going through some major life changes.

What advice do you have for folks who are trying to stay grounded in the midst of major life transitions?

Craig and Michelle, I am so happy to be talking to you.

Here are a few questions that might help us gain perspective.

So consider questions like this.

What activities take up my time but are not particularly useful? or stimulating for me?

Do I spend a lot of time on something that's important to someone else but is not very important to me?

If I could magically change one habit in my life, what would I choose?

And here's a question.

Would I like to have more time in solitude restorative solitude or would I like to have more time with friends?

You know, just thinking about questions like this can help us start to figure out how we might make our lives happier.

With greater self-knowledge, we're better able to make hard decisions that reflect ourselves, our own nature, our own interests, our own values.

In my own case, I have found that the more my life reflects my nature, the happier I get and the more grounded I feel when I'm going through a period of major change or transition.

For more great advice, search for IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson wherever you get podcasts.

You can listen to Issa Rae on letting go of certain friendships, Kiki Palmer on why disappointment is actually the key to career success, Seth and Lauren Rogan on caring for aging parents, and so many more.

[Finding Meaning in Adversity and Growth: Insights from Gretchen Rubin]-[A Little Happier: A True Story of Redeeming a Loss Through Sacrifice]

📋 Summary

Cultivating Growth and Finding Meaning

The Primrose Approach: Joyful Early Development

The Mountain Man: Transforming Grief into Action

Navigating Life Transitions with Self-Knowledge

🎯Key Sentences

📝Key Phrases

📖 Transcript