I have a triple treat for you this week, with a trifecta of happy stories.
There is a new cafe in Japan called The Restaurant of Mistaken Orders and I am here for it.
You ask for dumplings but you may get miso soup.
You may think it is crazy but it’s a restaurant where they almost guarantee your order will be muddled up.
And yet, customers keep going back because they love it so much.
Many of the staff of this innovative place are living with dementia.
They may or may not get the orders right, but the message is that we can be more accepting of everyone.
Having dementia is not a flaw: it is, in fact, the feature of the cafe and the main requirement to get a job there.
How fabulously refreshing.
The project presents people living with dementia as happy, hard working, helpful and gracious.
And instead of reacting to dementia as frightening, the customers describe their experience as fun, engaging and incredibly satisfying.
During one sitting, 37 per cent of orders were totally mixed up and yet 99 per cent of customers said they were happy with their meal.
My second serving of ‘happy’ this week comes in the form of a new collaboration between Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus.
The Wrecking Ball duet gives me chills in a good way as Dolly puts her iconic spin on her goddaughter’s tune.
I cannot get enough of this duo who have added a special twist to the end, bringing in a few verses from I Will Always Love You.
And finally for my triple treat, I implore you to put your Christmas tree up as soon as possible.
Run, do not walk.
Some experts claim we ‘Christmas tragics’ who put up our decorations earlier than others tend to be happier and friendlier.
These psychologists claim decorating before December spikes dopamine: the feel-good hormone.
They say the colours and light act as chromotherapy, also known as colour therapy.
Others say it is simply that hanging decorations makes us feel nostalgic.
And who doesn’t love a trip down memory lane?
So feel free to trim the tree and put on carols and I bet you feel all the good feels.
Sami Muirhead is a radio announcer, blogger and commentator. For more from Sami, tune into Mix FM.
