Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year

 

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year" wrote the American Transcendentalist philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson in his book "Society and Solitude", first published in 1870.

The quote is found in chapter seven, "Works and Days" - Emerson's essay on how humans perceive and value their time in which he explores mindfulness and the importance of living in the moment.

Emerson's philosophy aligns with core mindfulness principles such as Radical Presence ("own the day"); Letting Go of the Past ("finish every day and be done with it"); Intentionality and Perception ("today is the best day"); and Connection to Nature and Spirit (nature exists in a constant "today").

These are perfect principles to bring into the Gregorian New Year of 2026!

Interested in reading more Emerson? Order new copies of "Society and Solitude" via Bluestocking Books on Bookshop.org.

Mary at Bluestocking Books thinks Emerson's mindfulness manifests perfectly in the ten "inalienable rights" listed in Daniel Pennac's "The Rights of the Reader" :

1. The right not to read.
2. The right to skip pages.
3. The right not to finish a book.
4. The right to re-read.
5. The right to read anything. (Including "bad novels" or genre fiction)
6. The right to "Bovary-ism," a textually transmitted disease (the right to want a life like in the books, or the right to escapism).
7. The right to read anywhere.
8. The right to peck here and there. (The right to browse or dip in).
9. The right to read out loud.
10. The right to be silent. (The right not to defend your tastes or explain your relationship with a book).

James Patterson Holiday Bonus Program

Bluestocking Books is thrilled to be one of the bookstore recipients of James Patterson's Holiday Bonus Program! Mr. Patterson pledged a total of $300,000 in $500 increments to 600 booksellers from the American Booksellers Association bookstores. 

Bluestocking Books is delighted to be in the company of all the recipients, especially our fellow booksellers in San Diego - Hey Books! and Mysterious Galaxy. Congrats to all the bookshops!

From all of us at Bluestocking Books to all of you - have a happy and healthy...