Aimes-tu le Printemps? Does Spring make you feel happy?

Bonjour! Je suis heureux que vous soyez ici!

Today we have a LOT to celebrate! It’s French Language Day, and anyone who knows me will likely be aware of my Duolingo addiction. It gives me immense joy to learn a few of the ways that other humans who share this earth communicate differently from me.

J’adore les langues, et j’essaie de parler un ou deux mots de la langue du pays quand je visite quelque part. It’s literally how we connect, and connecting with others is my happy place.

Which brings me to our next reason for celebration!

Today is also the International Day of Happiness. It would be easy to feel cynical about celebrating this in light of global events causing unimaginable misery for so many, but I also believe that love is the antidote. It’s why I do Compassionart Creations.

There are many things that I cannot easily change in the world, but I can lead with love myself. Creating joy provides a meaningful action to bring this ideal to life.

Tomorrow we will be doing our second Joy Quest — randomly gifting one of my creations in a public place for someone to find and keep. A small surprise left in the world, simply to create a moment of happiness for whoever discovers it.

Happiness isn’t about always smiling, or faking some sort of ever-positive veneer. Life isn’t easy. Life can be exceptionally tough. But even in the tough times we can experience (or craft!) moments of happiness.

That knowing smile from a fellow customer who sees the same humour in a situation as you. That stranger who lets you merge in traffic. The friend who checks in on you. The neighbour who asks if you’re OK when they haven’t seen you for a while.

Speaking of which, the clocks here in BC have gone back, the nights are getting lighter for longer, and today is also the first day of Spring!

Quelle joie! Deux de mes voisins parlent français, et j’espère pouvoir en parler davantage encore!

Until now, I had no idea how much March 20 resonated with me.

As a Canadian, I am proud of our two national languages. I may not be bilingual (I seem to be working toward some level of proficiency in many languages instead — thanks Duo!) mais je crois que nous sommes plus forts grâce à nos deux langues.

As a human, I like to be happy. I realize that it’  s not realistic to be happy 24/7/365, but joy should be part of the human experience, and we should strive to find it or create it any chance we get.

As a part of nature, I embrace spring as a time of fresh starts, accelerating growth, new beginnings, and reinventing ourselves.

Whether that’s learning some French, acknowledging all the French first-language speakers who use English for our benefit, or even starting your own little Joy Quest, take a moment to think about how today can be your springboard into more happy moments.

D’accord. Maintenant, je dois me trouver un pain au chocolat!