The Orange Buzz

Every once in a while, I am blessed to find out that Meeting Your Half-Orange is making the rounds to other cities and having a big effect on people. And in these two recent cases of the book reaching other countries, the news absolutely, positively made my day.

Case #1: I got a wonderful email from a reader named Vanessa Valdez, who read Half-Orange during a last-minute, life-is-short trip to Bali. The bonus was, Vanessa liked the book so much that she got in touch and we ended up being able to meet in person, which was one of the most joyful mornings I’ve had in a long time. She said I could share the gorgeous photo of her in full-on Balinese optimism mode, so here she is.

Meeting Your Half-Orange goes to Bali! (Image courtesy of: Vanessa Valdez)

Case #2: I just found out that Meeting Your Half-Orange will be published in China! The book will be translated into Chinese characters, allowing the message to spread to even more cool singles looking for a new way to approach dating and life—the profoundly positive way. I will keep you posted on the Chinese launch!

And to those of you who have read or considered the book, or have helped spread the message yourself, thank you. Truly. All I wish for is that the half-orange mindset will inspire more amazing people toward a big, bold, happy life with the perfect partner to love right beside you.

Keep living, keep loving, keep reading, keep writing,

xo

—Amy

Whew! I’ve just updated my iPhone and iPad app Half-Orange Optimisms to a splashy new 2.0 version. And in addition to making sure it works on all the iOS platforms and the newest iPhones, I’ve added a whopping 150 *brand new* Optimisms to it. Which means the app now has more than 250 positive ideas to happy up your love life. Can you take it? I can barely take it.

You can find out more about the Half-Orange Optimisms app on the iTunes store. If you already have the app, be sure to update it to Version 2.0! And if you don’t have it, check it out. Because these are all original words of mine, and I wrote every single positive idea with happy love in mind. Here’s the gist:

–Amy

If you want more love and bliss and happiness in your life, I have a simple secret I want to share with you that can help you get it.

If  you have two minutes, find out a profoundly simple secret about how happiness really works. Find out how a happy life checklist can change your life, and you can feel happier instantly. As in today, right now.

And if you’re inspired by the video and want more ideas on how to savor the small moments of happiness every day—in areas of love, grace, confidence, vitality and delight among others, for a life of true, balance and bliss—grab the book that inspired it today! Buy The Happy Life Checklist: 654 Ways To Find Your Bliss on Amazon.com.

—Amy

I’m really excited about this one: My new book The Happy Life Checklist: 654 Simple Ways to Find Your Bliss will be on shelves in just over a week! (Release date: Feb. 4)

It’s a collection of small ideas that will help you savor and celebrate every day. The book covers ten areas you might be interested to work on in your life, including adding some delight, more bliss, some grace or confidence—and one of the most important things, more love.

Because happiness is in the second and minutes of life, not just in the years. Start filling your list with more fun things today.

Available now for pre-order on Amazon.com. So…ready to get your happy on?

—Amy

Does thinking about your half-orange make you want to sing? Well, it sure made singer-songwriter Casey Dinkin want to. She wrote me a note explaining,

“I am a singer-songwriter and I recently wrote a song called La Media Naranja (My Better Half), about orange halves in love.”

Clearly, I have to share it with you!

As she sings: “If they make cocktails with you, they’d better squeeze me in there, too.”

Aw. I couldn’t agree more.

—Amy

Last week, my half-orange Gustavo and I hit Art Basel in Miami. Not only was it a weekend full of fabulous art shows, but look! I found my other half-orange right in the middle of the Convention Center…

Amy Spencer and her "half-orange" at Art Basel, Miami (2011)

HA. I haven’t seen an orange-half I haven’t liked. Here’s to the art of finding yours.

—Amy

I have to hand it to author Jenna McCarthy, the scribe behind If It Was Easy, They’d Cal the Whole Damn Thing a Honeymoon. She’s not only hilarious (check out the funny trailer for her book), but she’s also brave and wise.

How do I know this? Because she recently gave a speech about “How to Live Happily Ever After” for a TED conference in front of a packed house (brave) that was full of smart and surprising advice on how to be happily married. And even wiser? In talking about how to find the right partner to marry, she featured my book cover for Meeting Your Half-Orange in her speech! (Pay attention at the 9:20 mark).

I’ve picked up a few tips from Jenna’s speech, which is why I’m going to buy my husband some really fattening cookies today. Watch her talk and you’ll learn why that’s just one of a few fabulous ideas for living happily ever after. Here’s the video—find a free 11 minutes (oh, let’s be honest, now is just perfect) and enjoy!

—Amy

What do you do when you’re a single parent and you get asked out by someone who doesn’t want to get married and have more kids like you do?

Well, if you’re Christine Coppa, who wrote about her recent dating experience in a new post for Parenting.com, you tell him you’re not interested. What do I think of her move? Find out:

Read her story, a shout-out for Meeting Your Half-Orange and my expert take on it all as a relationship optimist!

—Amy

I have to say “Thank you” to a Meeting Your Half-Orange reader named Blanca who sent me this cute note:

I am Spanish and on Facebook I’m always adding new fan pages to my profile that I find funny. So, two of them, which have quite a lot of fans are:

1. Me temo que con mi media naranja alguien se ha hecho un zumo

2. Mientras encuentro a mi media naranja, voy comiendo mandarinas

They mean:

1. I’m afraid that with my half orange, someone has make himself an orange juice.

2. Until I find my half orange, I’ll be eating tangerines.

To Blanca, I love them! You know why? Because to the rest of us, it’s a great reminder that while searching for a half-orange in life, it’s important to have a good sense of humor about it all. I mean, what else can keep you going through all the so-so dates and online dating flops? Laugh about it! And pour yourself some O.J. You gotta get your sweet tooth satisfied somehow.

—Amy

We’ve all heard about some big, well-planned proposals: the ones on the big screen at the baseball game, or captured on TV or in front of a teacher’s classroom. But this proposal? This is one of the most unique, touching and funny ones I’ve ever seen. Though, hey, maybe I’m biased.

See, I just got a letter from a guy who took proposing to his half-orange very seriously. Or, rather, seriouslyadorably. And as someone who believes that each one of us can be Meeting Your Half-Orange, I was thrilled to read what Larry wrote to me about proposing to Claire:

“Claire’s last name is Naranjo which is Spanish for orange tree. Growing up, her parents always called her “their little orange” and told her some day she will meet her “other half of the orange.” So I decided to dress up as half of an orange and make a video about my quest to find my other half.”

You can watch both the first part of Larry’s journey, and the second-half and the proposal. The video is a charming reminder that sometimes the search for your other half in love is a long, tiring road. But when you want it and you go for it, you can have it. As you’ll see, Larry was ready. And by the sound of it, Claire was ready, too.

As Claire’s mother Clara says in the video, “She always used to tell me, ‘I’m never going to get married.’ And I used to tell her, ‘Don’t worry. You’re going to get married. You’re going to have children. . . One day you’re going to find your half an orange.'”

Isn’t Mom’s always right?

I say the same to you. One day, you’ll meet your half-orange. Let this be a reminder that your other half is out there, too. Someone who will go to the craziest lengths to prove their love, to show they’ve been listening, and to beg you to be part of their lives forever. Larry & Claire, thanks for the inspiration and we wish you luck in your bright, sweet future!

—Amy