O, The Oprah Magazine continues the 2018 Year of Big Questions in July asking – What would make you happy? – prompting readers to contemplate what happiness means to them and how to achieve it.
This month, Oprah talks to Maria Shriver, who shares after spending much of her life feeling defined by the roles of daughter, wife, mother and all things Kennedy/Shriver, now at the age of 62 she feels more alive than ever.
Oprah also opens up about the joys of service and her favorite part of The Oprah Winfrey Show. The July issue of O, The Oprah Magazine is on newsstands June 12.
Oprah Quotes:
On her favorite part of The Oprah Winfrey Show: “Often my favorite part of The Oprah Winfrey Show was the after-show. I relished the time just chatting with the audience.”
On service bringing her joy: “Service, I gotta say, is my biggest reward and brings me enormous happiness: surprising other people with unexpected, needed, and sometimes just-for-fun support.”
Maria Shriver Quotes:
On considering running for office: “I used to feel my mother wouldn’t think I was great unless I jumped in and ran, like the boys. But I don’t feel that now – it’s just not in my heart. I have a voice, and I think I’m using it effectively. I feel very alive now, at age 62, which is a surprise for me.”
On finding her own identity: “I felt lost a lot growing up because I was always a ‘Kennedy,’ without a first name or my own identity, really. People would ask me, ‘Which Kennedy are you?’ I always felt that they were more interested in the things that came before me than in getting to know me. I was determined to become Maria.”
On what makes her happy: “As we get older, we have to appreciate the less momentous things. My kids come over for dinner. Someone invites me somewhere. A person tells me I’ve helped them. It’s not Disneyland. It’s when a friend calls just to say hi and I realize how much we mean to each other.”