Sponsored by

How “nice” is life right now?

Looking for unbiased, fact-based news? Join 1440 today.

Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.

Subscribe to 1440 today.

Kurt’s Corner — In his own words:

For just a few paragraphs, I want to let my literary hero speak in his own words. What follows is from Vonnegut’s graduation address to Agnes Scott College on May 15th, 1999, including his commentary on his uncle’s quote discussed in the video above: “If this isn’t nice, what is?”

An excerpt from Vonnegut’s speech:

Every graduation pep talk I’ve ever given has ended with words about my father’s kid brother, Alex Vonnegut, a Harvard educated insurance agent in Indianapolis, who was well-read and wise…

One of the things he found objectionable about human beings was that they so rarely noticed it when they were happy. He himself did his best to acknowledge it when times were sweet. We could be drinking lemonade in the shade of an apple tree in the summertime, and Uncle Alex would interrupt the conversation to say, “If this isn’t nice, what is?”

So I hope that you will do the same for the rest of your lives. When things are going sweetly and peacefully, please pause a moment, and then say out loud, “If this isn’t nice, what is?” Let that be the motto of your class: “If this isn’t nice, what is?”

That’s one favor I’ve asked of you. Now I ask for another one. I ask it not only of the graduates, but of everyone here, parents and teachers as well. I’ll want a show of hands after I ask this question.

How many of you have had a teacher at any level of your education who made you more excited to be alive, prouder to be alive, than you had previously believed possible?

Hold up your hands, please.

Now take down your hands and say the name of that teacher to someone else and tell them what that teacher did for you.

All done?

If this isn’t nice, what is?

— Vonnegut, Kurt. If This Isn't Nice What Is? (Much) Expanded Second Edition: The Graduation Speeches and Other Words to Live By . RosettaBooks. Kindle Edition.

Caregiver’s Corner: Gratitude Is the Gateway to “Nice” Moments

If you’re struggling to find those nice moments that Vonnegut is talking about, you’re not alone. I think every caregiver struggles with that. Heck, I think every person alive may struggle with that at some point.

I have a starting point to suggest for you that might help you get going: gratitude.

What are you thankful for right now? At this exact moment, can you find the tiniest thing to be grateful for? It could be a stranger who held the door for you, or the sun screen that’s protecting you from a sunburn. Pick anything.

I’ll go first. I’m grateful for my Soda Stream. I just love carbonation, and I used to drink a ridiculously unhealthy and expensive amount of soda. Now I just drink seltzer water all of the time.

My weight is down and my glucose dropped almost 20 points on my latest blood test. Now that I’m really thinking about that one little change, I’m very grateful for all of the differences this device has made in my life. Wow! I thought that was a little thing, but it’s pretty big. If this isn’t nice, what is?

Gratitude is the gateway we have to pass through to find acceptance, peace, and “the nice.” It can be as small as a carbonation bubble in your seltzer, but find a little piece of gratitude and sit with it for a moment. Give yourself time to appreciate that the little things might just touch every part of our lives when you really look closely.

When things are terrible, you can still be grateful. When you’re grateful, things can still be nice.

Literary Links! Need a good read? Here are my favorite Kurt Vonnegut books:

• If you only read one Kurt Vonnegut book in your life, it should be Cat’s Cradle. It’s hilarious, clever, fun, and a brilliant satire. The best of the best.

• His most famous book, and almost certainly his most banned book, Slaughterhouse-Five is a tour de force.

• The Sirens of Titan is a mad comedic romp that explores topics as various and important as free will and the meaning of life!

If this newsletter 💌 has helped you, here’s how to help it back 🥰 

Putting out this newsletter a few times a week is an awesome feeling! It’s a joy every time I get to put it together.

That said, keeping this going does come with its own challenges — including financial ones. Your support is critical to keeping this resource going strong.

If this newsletter has helped you breathe a little easier, feel a little stronger, or simply reminded you that you're not alone in this journey — and you're in a position to do so — I’d be deeply grateful for a tip to help keep it going.

SOME OF THE LINKS IN THIS NEWSLETTER ARE AFFILIATE LINKS, WHICH MEANS WE MAY EARN A COMMISSION IF YOU CLICK AND MAKE A PURCHASE, AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU. WE ONLY RECOMMEND PRODUCTS AND SERVICES WE TRUST.