It could be argued that every day involves cooking up a recipe, or several. Not only in a literal sense, though that applies too, but rather according to the ingredients that make up the architecture of each day. For example, how do you wake up? Is it with the sun? By alarm? According to the rhythms that you’ve trained into your body? Do you awake with someone? Alone? What do you do first? Meditate? Look at your phone? Groan and rollover? Use the toilet?

Whatever your pattern is, it sets the precedent for your day; it is the first ingredient in your recipe. Each succeeding behaviour adds another component, until the final activities you engage in before falling into slumber conclude your process and leave you with the final product: a day of your life.

Each of these days strings together creating weeks, months, and years of your existence. What you cook up matters. It shapes you physically, mentally and emotionally. It determines who, how and where you are and with whom you spend your time.

It makes sense to ask yourself each day if you are cooking something you enjoy and if you aren’t, then consider altering your recipe. I examine this question in each sense, as I choose what to eat, drink, see, hear, smell and do.

In this section I will share the recipes that make up my happiness cocktail, whether, or not, they have a thing to do with drinking.