I'm Gretchen Ruben and this is a little happier.

In my own mind, I often come up with a shorthand for certain ideas and emotions that I experience.

For instance, in an earlier episode of A Little Happier, I described how in my mind, the

phrase, juice story, stands for a big concept about how to be a more effective parent, and

I'll post a link to that episode if you want to listen to it.

I have a phrase that I use when I'm thinking about a very certain kind of pleasure.

The pleasure of doing work at a very high level of excellence with people who are really,

really good at their jobs.

I remember feeling this pleasure very acutely when I worked on the allodernal in law school,

and also when I was clerking for Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court.

It's exhilarating to be surrounded by excellence.

At that time, though, I didn't have a phrase for it.

When recently, when I was working on my 410NC's video course with the brilliant Darryl Vesterfeld

and his great team, I overheard him talking on the phone to someone while we were taking

a break.

I heard him say quietly, this is going good.

We'll finish early.

This is the varsity team.

And I loved hearing that, and I knew exactly what he meant, and I felt it too, and I felt

so thrilled to be included on that team.

I was recently in a diner that was full of people, and yet all the staff was super cheerful

and efficient, not all overwhelmed or irritated by the crowd.

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