Little Happier: Paris, Rose, a Fortune Cookie—an Anniversary Toast to My Husband Jamie

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Little Happier: Paris, Rose, a Fortune Cookie—an Anniversary Toast to My Husband Jamie"

Happier with Gretchen Rubin, hosted by Gretchen Rubin and her sister Elizabeth Craft, delves into practical advice on happiness and good habits. In the June 16, 2025 episode titled "Little Happier: Paris, Rose, a Fortune Cookie—an Anniversary Toast to My Husband Jamie," Gretchen shares a deeply personal story celebrating her wedding anniversary and commemorating a significant health milestone for her husband, Jamie.

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Celebrating Love and Resilience

In this heartfelt episode, Gretchen Rubin opens up about a dual celebration that holds profound meaning for her and her husband, Jamie. Not only are they marking their wedding anniversary, but they are also celebrating the ten-year anniversary of Jamie being cured of hepatitis C—a virus he contracted during a heart operation at the age of eight.

[00:48] Gretchen Rubin: "Tonight is actually a double celebration. It marks our wedding anniversary, of course. It also marks the 10th anniversary of the day that Jamie was pronounced cured of the hepatitis C that he picked up during a heart operation when he was eight years old."

This milestone is particularly significant for Gretchen, as January 9, 2015, the day Jamie was declared virus-free, stands out as "the most purely happy day of my life." This profound happiness is a testament to their enduring love and the resilience they've both shown over the years.

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A Thoughtful Anniversary Toast

To honor these occasions, Gretchen crafted a deeply personal toast to Jamie, combining literary references and pop culture to express her love and appreciation.

Literary and Pop Culture Inspirations

Gretchen, known for her love of literature and The Office, weaves both into her tribute:

[01:20] Gretchen Rubin: "Anyone who knows me knows that I love to quote from the great masterpieces of literature on a less elevated level. I also loved a quote from the TV show The Office."

She playfully engages her sister Elizabeth, who often refers to Gretchen as her "happiness bully," by sharing how she uses these references to convey her feelings:

[01:35] Gretchen Rubin: "One of my favorite family games is to interrupt some moment that's unfolding to say, 'Quick, what scene from The Office am I thinking of?' So to convey how I feel about Jamie, I will express myself through these vehicles."

Expressions of Love: Paris and a Rose

Gretchen draws parallels between Jamie and the city of Paris, as well as a rose, to illustrate the multifaceted nature of her love for him:

[02:15] Gretchen Rubin: "To convey how I feel about Jamie, I will express myself through these vehicles... Jamie, I love you as much as Pam loves Jim, as much as Angela loves Dwight, and as much as Holly loves Michael. That's a lot."

She likens Jamie to Paris, referencing Gertrude Stein's line, and to a rose, evoking the imagery from Wendell Berry's poetry:

[02:45] Gretchen Rubin: "Like Paris, it has also been exciting. We've had many thrilling ups and difficult downs and big changes and challenges. And throughout, Jamie's presence and his steadfast love has made our lives together exciting and peaceful."

[03:10] Gretchen Rubin: "Jamie is also like a rose... 'Wendell Berry's short poem the Wild Rose, sometimes hidden from me in daily custom and in trust, so that I live by you unaware as by the beating of my heart.'"

Through these metaphors, Gretchen emphasizes Jamie's enduring qualities—his loving heart, integrity, brilliance, dedication, creativity, and unwavering commitment to their family and civic life. She underscores the importance of not taking each other for granted, especially after thirty years of marriage:

[02:30] Gretchen Rubin: "One challenge of 30 years of marriage is not to take each other for granted at this point. Astonishingly now, we've lived more of our lives together than we lived separately."

A Fortuitous Fortune Cookie

Adding a personal anecdote, Gretchen recalls an early prediction that felt prophetic:

[01:55] Gretchen Rubin: "A few weeks after Jamie and I started dating, we went to get Chinese food, and I got a fortune cookie that predicted, 'Your life will be happy and peaceful.' I have to admit even that early in our relationship, I felt very sure that we would spend our lives together."

This fortune has remained a cornerstone of their relationship, symbolizing the enduring happiness and peace they've cultivated together.

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Reflections and Well-Wishes

As Gretchen concludes her toast, she reflects on the depth of her relationship with Jamie and extends her blessings for their continued journey together:

[03:30] Gretchen Rubin: "Jamie, my Paris, my rose. Now we go to live happily ever after."

She invites listeners to view a photograph of her and Jamie, along with the original fortune cookie, available in the show notes, further personalizing her story.

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Final Thoughts

In this episode of Happier with Gretchen Rubin, listeners are treated to a moving testament of love, resilience, and the importance of expressing heartfelt emotions. Gretchen's ability to intertwine personal anecdotes with literary and cultural references provides a relatable and inspiring narrative on maintaining happiness and connection in long-term relationships.

By sharing her anniversary toast, Gretchen not only celebrates her own happiness but also offers a blueprint for listeners to cherish and articulate their own relationships, reinforcing the podcast's overarching theme of practical happiness and meaningful living.

Transcript

[Gretchen Rubin]

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[Jamie Rubin]

Lemonade.

[Gretchen Rubin]

I'm Gretchen Rubin and this is a little happier. Recently, my husband Jamie and I celebrated our wedding anniversary and I used the occasion to write a toast to him. Although I love Jamie with all my heart, I rarely pause to tell him, let alone other people, how I feel about him. I hope it made him happy to hear what I wrote. I know it made me happy to put my deepest feelings into words to pay tribute to him. Here is what I said. Tonight is actually a double celebration. It marks our wedding anniversary, of course. It also marks the 10th anniversary of the day that Jamie was pronounced cured of the hepatitis C that he picked up during a heart operation when he was eight years old. January 9, 2015, when a test reported that the virus was not detected, was the most purely happy day of my life. I've been trying to figure out how to explain how I feel at this double celebration. Anyone who knows me knows that I love to quote from the great masterpieces of literature on a less elevated level. I also loved A quote from the TV show the Office. One of my favorite family games is to interrupt some moment that's unfolding to say quick, what scene from the Office am I thinking of? So to convey how I feel about Jamie, I will express myself through these vehicles. First, to tell you how much I love Jamie. In terms of the office, I will say, jamie, I love you as much as Pam loves Jim, as much as Angela loves Dwight, and as much as Holly loves Michael. That's a lot. And now I will convey my love for Jamie by comparing him through literature to the city of Paris and to a rose. You may not think Jamie is very Paris like or Rose like, but hear me out. In the first line of her novel Paris, France, Gertrude Stein observes, paris, France is exciting and peaceful. And when I read that, I thought of Jamie. A few weeks after Jamie and I started dating, we went to get Chinese food, and I got a fortune cookie that predicted, your life will be happy and peaceful. I have to admit even that early in our relationship, I felt very sure that we would spend our lives together. And perhaps with some very premonition of this evening, I've kept that fortune ever since, feeling framed with the first photograph I ever possessed that showed Jamie and me together at a Yale Law school party. And my life with Jamie has been happy and peaceful, just as the fortune cookie predicted, and even better. Like Paris, it has also been exciting. We've had many thrilling ups and difficult downs and big changes and challenges. And throughout, Jamie's presence and his steadfast love has made our lives together exciting and peaceful. So Jamie is like Paris, and Jamie is also like a rose. One challenge of 30 years of marriage is not to take each other for granted at this point. Astonishingly now, we've lived more of our lives together than we lived separately. But although he's so familiar, I never want to take Jamie for granted. His loving heart, his integrity, his brilliance, his dedication to family, his creativity, his commitment to civic life, his astonishing memory for names and faces. I never want to let him fade into the wallpaper of my life. In that effort, I often think of Wendell Berry's short poem the Wild Rose, sometimes hidden from me in daily custom and in trust, so that I live by you unaware as by the beating of my heart. Suddenly you flare in my sight, A wild rose blooming at the edge of thicket, grace and light, where yesterday was only shade. And once more I am blessed, choosing again. What I chose before, I will always choose again. Jamie, my Paris, my rose. Now we go to live happily ever after. If you'd like to see the photo of Jamie and me and the fortune cookie fortune from so many years ago. I'll post it in the show notes. I'm Gretchen Rubin, and I hope this makes your week a little happier from the Onward project.