positive psychology FTW

July 10, 2011

good morning
so, this whole plan of just getting off my @$$ and doing . . . everything?


it’s working. i’m in such a good mood today on this sunny sunday!

i’m in the middle of martin seligman’s book flourish right now, and finding it interesting how his breakdown of what leads to well-being applies to my own life right now. if you remember from an earlier post, seligman’s formula spelled out the acronym PERMA:

Positive emotion [optimism + energy]
Engagement [doing activities that lead to flow]
Relationships [fulfilling social life]
Meaning [belief that you are serving a truly important purpose in the world]
Accomplishment [doing “something noteable”, or just setting + achieving personal goals]

this weekend, i happen to be feeling a pretty strong sense of well-being. and when i think about it, i’ve pretty much got PERMA covered:

✔ i feel energetic having gotten in a great run + yoga class yesterday
✔ i am engaged in a number of activities [writing this post would be an example]
✔ i am having fun with friends [yesterday] and family [today]
✔ i had a rewarding clinic on friday which left me feeling good about my job
✔ i am checking a million boxes on my personal to-do list, which feels like an accomplishment even if the items themselves are minor

i don’t LOVE every section of his book [full review to come once i have finished], but the founder of modern positive psychology may be on to something.

durham walking-distance restaurant #4
#1 was rue cler
#2 was bull city burger + brewery
#3 was the federal [undocumented! oh well . . .]
#4 was mexican — at dos perros, just around the corner from rue cler + BCBB. it was especially fun to introduce kara, who lives in raleigh, to the downtown durham scene [she was a fan!].

distance: just 0.5 mi from our doorstep

cost: $60 for 2 [including one drink each + appetizers to share in addition to entrées]

the experience: fun! dos perros has a very nice but laid-back vibe that makes it a pleasant place to spend a summer evening. the mood is quite casual and a bit festive. they have a nice bar with a great margarita/cocktail menu that we didn’t take much advantage of; kara did get a classic margarita, but i was in the mood for a crisp glass of sauvignon blanc, and josh stuck to beer.

the most divisive thing we ordered was the cactus salad! it was very interesting with a texture akin to okra, and had a tart pickled flavor. it definitely grew on me, but i don’t think kara was a fan!


the entrées:

left to right: j’s lamb carne asada, my NC prawns, and k’s beer-braised pork loin
i was happy with my dish and i think the others were as well. it was fresh-tasting, not overly rich, and i enjoyed the mild spiciness of the sauce. BUT the only problem with any modern mexican restaurant is that i compare them all to distrito, and distrito wins [umm, their chef was the most recent iron chef america winner — hard to compete]. but, that’s not to say dos perros wasn’t very tasty! plus, a 0.5 mi walk is slightly more convenient than a 300-mi flight + 25 minute drive . . . therefore, i would definitely go back.

josh asked if we really wanted to pose under the sign which said ‘dos perros’. i see what he was getting at [RUDE], but come on!

dos humanos

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7.9.11

workout: ~30 minute run ending at the farmer’s market [new favorite saturday routine] + a great yoga class at blue point. i was sort of not in the best form but did manage to hold some weird arm balance for ~2 seconds and was pretty excited. however, now that i’m home i can’t figure out how i did it!

dos perros or heidi swanson?


don’t you think this black bean salad with roasted local tomatoes would have fit in pretty well with the above restaurant shots!? i made this recipe from super natural every day for lunch yesterday and it was another definite hit! i recommend, especially if you find yourself with a surfeit of local cherry tomatoes — so sweet and summery.

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