GNT #143: Berry rich

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Last weekend I was sitting around a bonfire with friends when someone used a phrase I’d never heard before.

“Berry rich.”

It means you can afford to buy berries in the middle of winter.

I laughed out loud. When I was growing up, we had wild black raspberries that grew along every edge of our farm. Each summer, we’d fill old ice cream buckets with them until our fingers were stained purple. My mom froze what we couldn't eat - small containers stacked in the freezer, waiting for winter.

I can't even remember buying berries from a store, but man... did it feel rich.

So when I heard "berry rich,” it got me thinking. Maybe richness isn’t just about what we can buy. Maybe it’s also about what we can still appreciate.

If you’ve ever wondered what “rich” really means, or how to keep the good things from losing their meaning, today’s Thanksgiving-edition newsletter is for you.

We’ll explore what it means to define richness for yourself, and how to protect what makes your life feel full.

Let’s dig in. 
 

What "rich" really means

We live in a time when almost anything is available all the time. Fresh berries in January. Groceries delivered in hours. Movies on demand.

Convenience has its perks, don't get me wrong. But it also dulls our sense of wonder.

When something is always within reach, it stops feeling special. And when everything becomes normal, nothing feels rich anymore.

Real richness isn’t about the accumulation. It’s about attention, and the ability to notice what matters to you.

So maybe the question isn’t how can we have more.

Maybe it's how can we stay connected to what makes life feel full?

The balance between rich and routine

I've noticed there's a quiet line between living richly and living constantly stimulated.

For me, "rich" is that slow coffee on a calm, crisp morning. A really good, hearty meal after a very active day outside. Or the feeling of stepping into the sauna after a dip in the lake.

Moderation can create space for meaning, but presence is what fills it. You can have all the right moments and still miss them if you're not really there for them.

If I had slow coffee every morning, would it still feel rich? Perhaps.

Psychologist Thomas Gilovich found that experiences bring us more happiness than possessions because we actually engage with them. They pull us into the present.

Richness, then, is what happens when awareness meets appreciation. When you slow down enough to taste the coffee, actually hear your son or granddaughter's laughter, or feel the temperature of the air.

3 ways to keep life “Berry Rich”

1. Define what rich really means to you

Not what the world says, but what genuinely makes you feel alive.

Is it time? Freedom? Health? Creative flow? 

For some, richness is owning your time and energy. For others, it's connection, creativity, or simply peace of mind.

Take 2 minutes to finish this sentence:

“I feel rich when…”

You might be surprised by what shows up.

2. Design your life and protect the special things

Once you realize what fills you, you can build more of your days around it.

Think about what already brings you energy and meaning, the things that remind you you're alive on this planet and connected.

How can you create more room for those things, and not just squeeze them into the margins?

Take 2 minutes right now and block something on your calendar that energizes you. (I'll wait 😉)

Protect it like you would any other important commitment.

3. Be present while it's happening

As my friend Ryan's grandma used to say, "Be where your feet are."

The easiest way to lose richness is to rush past it. Oftentimes, you don’t have to stretch for novelty, you just need to notice.

When something feels good, like a conversation, a win, or a meal, pause for three seconds. Let it really sit before moving on.

That’s how you train your attention to recognize abundance.

Takeaway

Being "berry rich" isn't about affording rare things.

It's realizing how rare ordinary life already is.

Real richness isn't found in access (or excess), it's really found in awareness of what matters to you.

So this week, ask yourself:

What feels rich to me?
What deserves more room to grow?

And if it's fresh berries when it's -25 degrees? Live richly, my friend.

Happy Thanksgiving.
 

I'm always rooting for you. See you next week.

-Colleen

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If you liked this article, you might also like:

GNT #121: How to figure out what you really want
GNT #115: Fulfilling work is more than just happiness
GNT #120: You’re not broken. You’re overstimulated.

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